Extreme Heat is Turning Prisons into Ovens

Written By Madelyn S

Fast Company, August 17, 2021: Extreme Heat is Turning Prisons into Ovens

“Extreme heat in prisons has been an issue for years. In 2014, a University of Texas School of Law report found that inside Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) facilities, the heat index during summer can exceed 149 degrees Fahrenheit (heat index measures how hot it feels, with humidity included; a heat index at or above 103 degrees Fahrenheit can lead to dangerous heat disorders like heat stroke or heat exhaustion with prolonged exposure). To this day, out of 99 TDCJ units in operation, only 30 have air-conditioning in all areas; 49 have air-conditioning in ‘some’ housing areas, a TDCJ spokesperson says, and 20 have no air-conditioning in housing areas at all.”

Additional reading:

Medium, January 11, 2021: How the U.S. Prison System Contributes to Climate Change

The Marshall Project, October 11, 2017: “Cooking Them to Death”: The Lethal Toll of Hot Prisons

Columbia Law School, August 31, 2015: Climate Change and Mass Incarceration

Madelyn S
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