Prison Cells Can Reach Nearly 150 Degrees in the South
Summers in the U.S. have been getting hotter year over year—and more dangerous as a result.
But very few Americans have to face the heat with next to no relief options like the country’s incarcerated population. Record-breaking temperatures can quickly become a health risk for the largely Black and Brown incarcerated population, particularly in the South.
Little has been done by U.S. prisons in recent years to combat their readiness for heat waves. In Texas, where just 20 percent of prison units in the state have air conditioning, cells regularly reach temperatures as high as 110 degrees, with some cells getting as hot as 149 degrees, according to a study released by the Texas A&M University Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center earlier this month. In Florida, where just 24 percent of prison units have air conditioning, prison reform activists recently told the Orlando Sentinel that cell temperatures exceed 100 degrees. And in Arizona, where temperatures as high as 120 degrees can result in the cancellation of flights, inmates were left outside to bear the brunt of it.
Texas, Arizona, and Florida are just three of 13 states that don’t have universal air conditioning in their prisons, according to the Prison Policy Initiative: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Without air conditioning, which is mandatory in order to live comfortably in many of these states, inmates exposed to the heat for long periods of time can suffer from potentially fatal heat strokes, according to the Initiative, as well as adverse effects on their kidneys, liver, heart, and brains.
The effects that the grueling conditions of these prisons can have are made worse by the mandatory labor many of its inhabitants are forced to take part in, Jamila Johnson, deputy director for the Promise of Justice Initiative in Louisiana told VICE News.
“In the course of their day, there are people who are fully working in the fields, they're working in prison enterprises, working to make tags for license plates, doing other manufacturing work, working in kitchens,” Johnson said. “Those are our grueling jobs in the best of conditions.”
Working through the heat has always been a risk for American laborers. Between 2011 and 2019, at least 344 American workers died of heat stress in the U.S, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, with the agency adding that the figure is likely underreported.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7bbba/prison-cells-can-reach-nearly-150-degrees-in-the-south
This constitutes torture. And you also know that prison medical neglect is one of my hot buttons....
= new reply since forum marked as read
California law lets people smash a window to save animals trapped in parked cars.
Thank you Jerry Brown
It was based on an outdoor temp of 114 degrees at the Hutchins Unit in Dallas County at 10:30 AM on July 19, 2011 but when I looked at the actual temps that day the official high was 100 degrees. Additionally afternoon temps outside the prison were lower than morning temps.
I believe the afternoon temps and their heat indexes to be more accurate
The afternoon heat indexes on that day are very typical.
Anytime outdoor temps are above 90 degrees, it's pretty dangerous in most Texas prisons
https://law.utexas.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2015/05/2014-HRC-USA-DeadlyHeat-Report.pdf
https://tamucoa-juiceboxinteract.netdna-ssl.com/app/uploads/2022/07/22-01R.pdf
149 degrees grabs headlines, but the real story is the chronic conditions with heat indexes between 110 and 120 degrees.
The only solution to all of this are class action lawsuits. Texas prisons are dangerously hot
The number of prisoners who actually die from heat is probably not a good indicator. I think the issue is long term health of the inmates. If you're stuck with heat index temps between 110 and 120 for 3 months out of the year, what does that do to your health?? You can't exercise. All you can do it lay around.