The mission of the Prison Ecology Project is to map the intersections of mass incarceration and environmental degradation, and create action plans to address the multitude of problems found there.
The Prison Ecology Project addresses issues such as: damage of sewage and industrial waste from overpopulated and under-regulated prisons into to water ways; threats to listed species by the ongoing construction and operation of prisons in remote, environmentally-sensitive rural areas; and environmental justice concerns regarding prisoners, staff and surrounding communities.
Check out our partners at The Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons
Media Inquiries
Panagioti Tsolkas -
Prison Ecology Project -
(561) 360- 2523
Press Releases
One hundred and seventy-five environmental and social justice organizations, including HRDC's Prison Ecology Project, sent a letter to the Obama administration today opposing a set of proposed regulations that would place crippling burdens on citizens who petition to protect imperiled animals and plants under the Endangered Species Act.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Human Rights Defense Center sent letters urging the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Fish and Wildlife to oppose a new maximum-security prison in Letcher County.
The proposed prison project cannot proceed unless the BOP complies with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. Based on HRDC’s findings set forth in the comment, the EIS fails in numerous respects...
Press Coverage
Aljazeera America, March 9, 2016
Panagioti Tsolkas, Prison Legal News, December 30, 2015
Bill Estep, Lexington Herald-Leader (KY), December 18, 2015
Raven Rakia, Grist.com, December 17, 2015
Geoffrey Riley & Emily Cureton, Jefferson Public Radio (OR), December 14, 2015
Raven Rakia, Grist.com, November 17, 2015
Dashka Slater, Sierra Magazine, November 15, 2015
Margaret Prescod of Sojourner Truth Radio, September 17, 2015
Laura Cepero, Counterpunch, September 8, 2015
Panagioti Tsolkas, Earth Island Journal, August 24, 2015
the Sky Valley Chronicle, August 20, 2015
Bill Estep, Lexington Herald-Leader, August 16, 2015
Rick Anderson, Seattle Weekly, August 12, 2015
Jessie Fetterling, Correctional News, August 6, 2015
Karen Graham, Digital Journal, August 6, 2015
Rick Anderson, Prison Legal News, August 1, 2015
KentuckyBids.com, July 31, 2015
Lauren Kirchner, Pacific Standard, July 30, 2015
P. Tsolkas, Earth First! Newswire, July 25, 2015
Jessica Pishko, Vice, July 17, 2015
Mike Ludwig, Truthout, July 16, 2015
Linda Poon, CityLab (The Atlantic), July 11, 2015
Eric Markowitz, International Business Times, May 28, 2015
Ryan Adams, WYMT, March 31, 2015
Nick Szuberla, Medium, March 12, 2015
Camilla Mortensen, Eugene Weekly, March 12, 2015
Brentin Mock, Grist.org, November 11, 2014
Vice, May 18, 2015
