Dear John,
Picture this: You are confined to an 8’ x 10’ concrete prison cell with a solid steel door and no window. You are housed in an old, dilapidated facility. There's no air conditioning and outside, the temperature has soared to 115° F. For the past 40 days, the daily high temperatures haven’t dipped below 110° F and the low temps at night have not gone below 95° F. Locked in your cell, without even so much as a fan, you watch the walls sweat as you endure internal temperatures exceeding 130° F. It quite literally feels as if you are in hell. How long could you survive under these conditions?
These are the brutal realities faced by thousands of incarcerated individuals in the United States. Such extreme conditions lead to severe medical issues, deteriorating mental health, an increase in violence and disciplinary infractions, and a generally unsafe environment. Every year, people die from these inhumane conditions, while our state and federal governments remain largely indifferent.
Today, we are excited to announce the launch of our new four-part blog series, "Extreme Heat in Prisons: A Hidden Crisis Affecting Thousands."
This series will shed light on the urgent and often overlooked issue of extreme heat in prisons, especially in the southern and western United States. Many prisons in these regions lack adequate air conditioning and cooling systems, exposing incarcerated individuals to dangerously high temperatures. With climate change worsening this problem, it is crucial that we address the impact of extreme heat on the health, safety, and dignity of those living and working in prisons.
The first blog post in this series is now live on our website. This introductory piece explores the scope of the problem, the implications of extreme heat on the well-being of incarcerated individuals, and potential solutions to this crisis.
Click Here to Read the Blog
Over the next three months, we will publish a new blog post each month, focusing on three states with the harshest environments:
- Arizona: Examining the real-life impacts of extreme temperatures in the Sonoran Desert.
- Texas: Highlighting the excruciating conditions faced by tens of thousands of incarcerated individuals and ongoing efforts for change.
- Alabama: Addressing the unique challenges of extreme heat in its prisons.
By reading, sharing, and engaging with this blog series, you can help raise awareness about this critical issue and inspire action to protect the health, safety, and dignity of the people incarcerated throughout the country.
Additionally, we are asking for your support in advocating for federal legislation to establish nationwide standards for temperature control in correctional facilities. We will provide more information on this initiative in the coming weeks, and we hope you will join us in this fight for justice and humane treatment for all.
Click Here to Tell Congress: Protect the Incarcerated from Extreme Conditions!
Thank you for your continued support and for becoming familiar with the realities of how inhumane our prisons operate. Together, we will make a difference and create a future where dignity and opportunity are accessible to everyone.
In solidarity,
—The Justice Team at Dream.Org
