J. Carlee Purdum

Dec 6, 2024 | today.tamu.edu | J. Carlee Purdum |Tara Goddard |Lesley Henton |Drs. Benika Dixon

The United States has almost 2 million people behind bars in prisons, jails and detention centers – the largest such population in any country. Although incarcerated people are locked away from the outside world, they are even more vulnerable to the impacts of disasters, such as hurricanes and wildfires, than the rest of society. People who are incarcerated can’t take protective actions, such as evacuating or securing their belongings. They have no say in decisions that the system makes for them.

Nov 12, 2024 | theconversation.com | Benika C. Dixon |J. Carlee Purdum |Tara Goddard

Prisons and jails are difficult to evacuate when wildfires or storms approach. Many of these facilities lack evacuation plans and may keep incarcerated people on-site instead of moving them to safety.

Oct 9, 2024 | caledonianrecord.com | J. Carlee Purdum

The volunteers who take part in search-and-rescue operations and then support disaster survivors belong to organizations that have become more formal and established over the past decade. That’s what we found after spending more than four years volunteering alongside eight of these groups to better understand their role and the motivations of the people who participate in these efforts.

Apr 30, 2024 | dailyyonder.com | J. Carlee Purdum

This story was originally published by The Conversation. If you call 911 in rural Georgia, the nearest emergency responders might come from the local prison. In 1963, the Georgia Department of Corrections began a program to train incarcerated people as firefighters to support not only their prisons, but also the surrounding communities. Over time, the program has grown dramatically.

Apr 20, 2024 | nowhabersham.com | J. Carlee Purdum

If you call 911 in rural Georgia, the nearest emergency responders might come from the local prison. In 1963, the Georgia Department of Corrections began a program to train incarcerated people as firefighters to support not only their prisons, but also the surrounding communities. Over time, the program has grown dramatically. Today, prison fire teams from 19 Georgia state prisons, including a women’s prison, and six county prisons are trained in firefighting and emergency medical response.