Doctoral Dissertations
Date of Award
8-2025
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Public Health Sciences
Major Professor
Angela F. Pfammatter
Committee Members
Kristina W. Kintziger, Jennifer M. Jabson Tree, Judah Schept
Abstract
This dissertation presents an interdisciplinary, mixed methods investigation of the intersection of mass incarceration and disaster vulnerability through three chapters: a scoping review of disaster vulnerability in and around sites of incarceration in the United States; a quantitative analysis of associations between social vulnerability to disasters and prison presence in Appalachia; and a Critical Disaster Studies analysis of the 2022 Central Appalachia floods. Historical analysis through the lens of Critical Disaster Studies can provide deeper contextual understanding of the ways in which specific disasters are produced by pre-existing social, political, and economic factors. Major findings included the following. There is a dearth of literature on the intersection between mass incarceration and disaster vulnerability. Limited existing research discussed specific environmental hazards, varying incarceration site types, disaster vulnerability related to incarceration, and legal and human rights issues for those facing disasters while incarcerated. Future studies are needed to further explore disaster vulnerability in communities surrounding sites of incarceration. There are clear associations between factors that influence social vulnerability to disasters and the presence of prisons in census tracts in Appalachia, with higher overall social vulnerability scores associated with increased odds for prison presence. Factors related to racial/ethnic minority and housing/transportation were most positively associated. The Critical Disaster Studies analysis revealed harrowing descriptions of disaster vulnerability and loss tied to historic themes of vulnerability tied to the legacy of coal mining in Central Appalachia, as well as more recent prison proliferation and the production of disasters like the 2022 floods. These findings have significant implications for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery activities, which should be informed by deeper investigation and understanding of the specific contexts in which disasters occur. Additionally, these findings can expand our understanding of the harms of mass incarceration. Deep contextual understanding of the upstream drivers of disaster vulnerability can assist emergency managers, public health practitioners, and policy makers alike in their efforts to identify and disrupt the circumstances across different levels of the socioecological model that produce disasters, their associated negative outcomes like morbidity, mortality, and economic loss, and the disproportionate impacts of these outcomes on already marginalized populations.
Recommended Citation
Jansson Glanville, Daire R., "Critical Historical Perspectives in Public Health Disaster Science: Disaster Vulnerability Near Sites of Incarceration in the United States. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2025.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/12723