Health hazards are everywhere in prison — even in something as essential as drinking water.
In stories that PJP has received, contributors at some facilities have described drinking water that is brown with white or black specks, smelling like sewage.
At Kern Valley State Prison in California, thousands of people have been forced to drink arsenic-laced water, according to reporting from Truthout. Over the past 20 years, several incarcerated people at Kern Valley have developed bacterial infections like Helicobacter pylori, arsenic poisoning, Legionella and E. coli. These diseases can induce severe pain and discomfort, and are also known to heighten the risk of other illnesses, including cancer, later in life.
While tests have detected bacteria in drinking water, many of the incarcerated people drinking this water are not given sufficient notice of these dangers. According to a story from Source New Mexico, officials at Springer Correctional Center in that state instructed incarcerated women not to drink prison water following the detection of coliform in June, but did not disclose why.
Contaminated water in prisons can come from outdated plumbing and construction methods, like the use of lead in pipes. Prison infrastructure is rarely renovated, and water is seldom tested. Untested showers have also resulted in skin infections among incarcerated people. PJP writer Anthony Ehlers, who is incarcerated in Illinois, wrote about potential lead poisoning in the Stateville Correctional Center for the Chicago Reader in 2022.
During a historically hot summer, when water is even more vital than usual to stay cool and hydrated, PJP has compiled a collection of stories by contributing writers on drinking water behind bars.
“Why Prisoners Aren’t Reporting Feeling Sick” by Michael J. Moore: “Raul heard others who had been there longer than him complaining about their sinks which still hadn’t begun to produce clear water. He knew he would eventually be forced to drink it, or he would succumb to dehydration and possibly death.”
“We Can Only Watch” by Clea Bowden: “Even with the heat reaching nearly 100 degrees, we are not allowed to get filtered water or a sufficient amount of ice. We are told to drink the water from our sink that is connected to our toilets.”
“She Was in Constant Pain. They Told Her It Was Normal” by Lucretia Stone: “The majority of women I have talked to have noticed dark spots appear on their backs, which we think is from showering in contaminated water.”
“Dispatch From a Texas Prison” by Richard Shafer: “There is a problem with excessive amounts of lead, arsenic, and other harmful bacteria in the water supply. I contracted H. pylori while at the Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas.”
“Learning in the Abysmal Conditions of Illinois’ Stateville Correctional” by Anthony Ehlers: “The water here is poisonous … These are the deplorable conditions we live in.”