Concrete walls, sealed windows, and outdated infrastructure are creating dangerously hot conditions in US prisons, which house nearly 1.2 million people across the nation. Nearly half of state prisons in 29 states have partial or no air conditioning in housing units, according to an exclusive database created by Reuters using documents obtained through public records requests to all 50 states. The Reuters graphics team created a true-to-life model of one source's cell, to demonstrate exactly how the design traps heat with no reprieve for the person living inside.
Prison advocates interviewed by Reuters said the hot conditions amount to unfair treatment and excessive punishment. One incarcerated person described the heat as being so oppressive that it felt like they were "breathing under water." Legislative and policy efforts have stalled or failed to address the problem, even as prison populations and temperatures rise.
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