PJI Calls for Action to Protect Incarcerated People from Extreme Heat
The Promise of Justice Initiative (PJI) calls upon the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DOC), Louisiana sheriffs, and other detention center operators to take immediate steps to protect incarcerated people from the effects of extreme heat.
Over the past week, PJI has received dozens of shocking reports from people incarcerated at Louisiana correctional facilities who are living in intolerable conditions of heat and humidity. Many facilities lack consistent power or air conditioning, causing temperatures inside to skyrocket. And despite the triple-digit temperatures, the State continues to force men incarcerated at Angola to work plantation crops on the “farm line.”
“These conditions are unsafe, unacceptable, and unconstitutional,” said PJI Executive Director Samantha Kennedy. “Many incarcerated people will suffer otherwise avoidable heat-related illnesses due to these conditions. In fact, many of our clients have already been injured because of the State’s indifference to their welfare in the midst of record-setting, extreme heat.”
“It’s over 100 degrees in there. I lie on the floor.
I barely can breathe. God, it feels like it’s suffocating!”
PJI has learned of repeated power outages at DOC facilities, making what meager air conditioning that exists unavailable and fans (where offered) inoperable. PJI clients have reported losing consciousness due to the heat in their living areas. These incarcerated men do not benefit from basic airflow since their windows do not open. Some have even been denied showers because of the power outages.
One incarcerated person reported, “It’s over 100 degrees in there. I lie on the floor. I barely can breathe. God, it feels like it’s suffocating!”
“Louisiana DOC and sheriffs must immediately remedy these life-threatening heat conditions in Louisiana’s prisons, jails, and detention centers,” Kennedy said.
The southern United States is suffering under a “heat dome” causing sustained temperatures above 100 degrees with heat indexes above 120. Today, as it reaches 98°F with a heat index of 105°F, we all take refuge in our air-conditioned homes and offices and those with less means find cooling centers or indoor public spaces. Meanwhile, people incarcerated in Louisiana suffer in packed dormitories and are made to do hard labor under the sweltering sun.
Despite record temperatures, Angola is continuing to require men to work outside in the heat on “the farm line.” Conditions in jails and detention centers vary greatly and put additional thousands at risk. As the State is aware, individuals with disabilities like diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure, and those taking certain medications for mental illness have increased susceptibility to severe heat-related illness. At least 11 incarcerated people in Texas died last week because of the heat. The reports PJI has already received point to a high risk of injury and death for individuals incarcerated across Louisiana.
PJI calls upon DOC, sheriffs, and detention center operators to take immediate action to remedy this life-threatening situation without further delay:
1. Immediately and permanently end the Farm Line at Angola.
2. Immediately identify all incarcerated individuals with disabilities that make them more susceptible to heat-related illness and provide those individuals with reasonable accommodations related to heat exposure.
3. Implement immediate and consistent heat mitigation measures, including providing
a. Air-conditioned spaces
b. Ice coolers
c. Ice and water
d. Evaporation coolers (“swamp cooler”)
4. Ensure access to healthcare for people suffering from heat-related symptoms or illness.
5. Develop coordinated plans to address future extreme heat events that include all correctional facilities in Louisiana.
For additional updates and information, visit www.promiseofjustice.org/heat.