Brief
Inmates face dangerous heat as prisons lack cooling, experts warn
Researchers and advocates say rising temperatures and outdated facilities put incarcerated people at heightened risk of heat‑related illness and death.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Steve Brooks, an inmate at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, described suffocating conditions during an eight‑hour power outage in 2024 when temperatures rose to 90‑100 °F (32‑38 °C). "It's kind of like you're hyperventilating," he told the Independent.
Experts say the problem is systemic. Damon Gilbert of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest said heat‑related deaths in prisons are under‑reported and that facilities are not adapting to climate change. Julie Skarha, who led a study on prison deaths linked to hotter days, noted that newly incarcerated people are especially vulnerable because they lack acclimation.
Research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found most U.S. prisons experienced at least ten days each summer that were hotter than any previous summer, with overcrowding and limited movement worsening the danger. A separate study in the National Library of Medicine linked hotter days to increased deaths from heart disease and suicide among inmates, particularly those under a year in custody or over 65.
Key facts
- Steve Brooks endured an eight‑hour power outage in 2024 with temperatures reaching 90‑100 °F at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. (independent.co.uk)
- Damon Gilbert says heat‑related deaths in prisons are under‑reported and facilities are not adapting. (independent.co.uk)
- MIT research found most U.S. prisons had at least ten days each summer hotter than any previous summer. (independent.co.uk)
- National Library of Medicine study linked hotter days to higher inmate deaths from heart disease and suicide. (independent.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] independent.co.uk — originally reported as “As heat becomes more extreme, inmates are increasingly threatened by rising temperatures”
