This paper investigates the intersection of prisons, climate change, and disaster risk in Australasia, with a focus on environmental justice and human rights challenges. It explores the vulnerability of prison populations, the role of outdated infrastructure in increasing disaster risks, and the associated human rights concerns, including issues of torture, inhumane or degrading treatment, and health and safety risks. The analysis highlights environmental hazards affecting prisons, such as rising water tables, coastal flooding, and extreme weather events.

The paper gives special attention to factors that heighten violence in prisons, such as heat stress, and examines how overcrowding and inadequate resources further amplify vulnerabilities to climate and environmental threats. Drawing on international frameworks like OPCAT and the Mandela Rules, alongside domestic human rights and corrections legislation, this paper assesses the current regulatory framework and its effectiveness in addressing the complex challenges posed by the intersection of climate change and prison environments. Insights from Inspectorate Reports will be used to illuminate the present situation and identify opportunities to enhance safety, well-being, and human rights within prison settings.