Journalists: Methods to Examine Warmth in Prisons

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Warmth waves and days with temperatures above 100 levels Fahrenheit have gotten extra frequent, due to local weather change. This poses a critical menace to individuals behind bars. When exterior temperatures exceed 100 levels, warmth indexes in prisons and jails can attain 150 levels, research present, as a result of the services lure warmth.

Individuals behind bars, together with staff, typically don’t have any reprieve from hovering temperatures, placing them in danger for critical heat-related accidents. In some circumstances, excessive warmth may be deadly.

This toolkit is designed to help reporters in protecting the influence of utmost warmth on prisons or jails of their group. In the event you’re on deadline protecting a warmth wave in your space, we advocate skipping forward to the sources part under, the place you’ll discover related lawsuits, analysis research and consultants to contact.

The authorized context

Excessive warmth behind bars is a civil rights situation for incarcerated individuals. Greater than 1,200 federal circumstances on this situation have been filed between 1980 and 2019, and State Court docket Report discovered that greater than 500 lawsuits about warmth in prisons have been filed previously 5 years.

Many authorized challenges on this situation argue that extended publicity to excessive temperatures quantities to merciless and strange punishment, a violation of the Eighth Modification. Excessive warmth may also be a violation of the People with Disabilities Act since individuals with medical situations, akin to diabetes, bronchial asthma and sure coronary heart situations, are extra weak to heat-related sickness and loss of life. Regardless of rulings that extended publicity to excessive temperatures is unconstitutional, most judges cease wanting requiring air con in prisons and jails.

Litigation about warmth in prisons typically entails incarcerated people who find themselves nonetheless alive and have joined collectively to file a category motion lawsuit over inhumane situations or members of the family of the deceased who sue the jail system for a wrongful loss of life.

A word on air con

Air con is the one most efficient methodology for protecting indoor temperatures protected; nevertheless, most prisons, together with many within the hottest states within the South, aren’t absolutely air conditioned. In accordance with an investigation printed in July by Reuters, “practically half of state prisons throughout 29 states have partial or no air con in housing items.” Right here’s the database that Reuters created by requesting information in all states (not all of them responded), and right here’s their methodology.

In 2022, a USA At the moment evaluation of state jail methods discovered that 44 states wouldn’t have common air con. By comparability, practically 90% of U.S. houses use it.

Some states with air-conditioned prisons embody Tennessee, the place it’s common, and Arkansas, the place it has been common for many years. North Carolina is working by a long-term plan to set up air con in all state jail housing items. And lots of states have partial protection, together with Missouri, and Washington, which has air con in three of its prisons on the japanese aspect of the state.

Preliminary Reporting Steps

Do a clip search

Begin with a seek for heat-related tales to see what has already been lined. Since 2014, The Marshall Mission has been curating a few of the greatest prison justice reporting from across the internet. Our instrument known as The Document can assist you discover the newest and authoritative articles on prison justice matters, together with warmth behind bars.

You’ll be able to seek for matters akin to “warmth in jail” and “local weather change” to search out curated lists of related articles from The Marshall Mission and different shops.

Search for lawsuits

You’ll be able to verify for related lawsuits by Google searches, PACER, CourtListener, the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse and any digital courtroom database in your state. You can too seek for the title of your state’s jail system and your native jail or sheriff’s workplace.

PACER will give you the names of people that have sued over different jail abuses and situations, exactly the type of people that would possibly reply your letter about warmth or anything that’s going unsuitable. It’s additionally value trying up if a choose or courtroom in your state has dominated that excessive warmth is merciless and strange punishment

We’ve offered a listing of related lawsuits within the sources part under.

See in case your state has a correctional oversight physique

Some states have oversight businesses that look into jail situations and abuse. It’s doable they might have details about warmth in your state’s jail system. The Nationwide Useful resource Heart for Correctional Oversight gives this map, which breaks down key particulars about these businesses, and here’s a 50-state stock.

In case your state has one in all these our bodies, ask if they’ve any stories on warmth in prisons, and attain out to them any time you’re protecting a narrative about jail situations or abuses.

See if there’s been related laws

Lawmakers have launched a variety of payments making an attempt to reform warmth mitigation insurance policies in carceral settings. One instance is Texas Home Invoice 3006, which died within the state Senate within the spring of 2025. This Texas Tribune article particulars how the invoice would have required that local weather management methods be put in in phases, with completion by 2032. You’ll be able to verify what laws has been launched in your state by looking out your state’s legislative web site in addition to the categorized databases supplied by the Nationwide Convention of State Legislatures, which embody launched laws and coverage enactments in every state and Washington, D.C.

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Frequent story themes

The difficulty of warmth behind bars is multifaceted and may be lined from a number of angles. Listed here are themes you’re more likely to encounter throughout your reporting:

Growing old

Older adults are at increased danger of heat-related sickness and loss of life, and the overall variety of older incarcerated individuals is rising. In accordance with evaluation of Bureau of Justice Statistics knowledge, in 1991, individuals aged 55 or older made up simply 3% of the nationwide jail inhabitants, however in 2021 they made up 15% of individuals in prisons throughout the U.S. By 2022, state and federal prisons housed 186,000 individuals who have been 55 or older.

Contemplate asking for a breakdown of ages in your jail or jail, and ask if the ability makes particular preparations for older adults. In the event you can, evaluate the age breakdown to earlier years: Is the common age or share of weak age teams growing in your space?

Jail workers

Many correctional officers work lengthy shifts in items with out air con. (You’ll be able to take heed to testimony right here about these harmful working situations from a labor union chief in Texas.)

The federal Occupational Security and Well being Administration has suggestions about warmth within the office, together with “temperature management within the vary of 68-76 levels Fahrenheit” for staff, however there are not any legally required requirements. Some states, akin to California, have adopted broad office warmth requirements, however they don’t embody prisons.

The influence of utmost warmth on staff typically exacerbates heat-related points for incarcerated individuals. Many states are dealing with jail staffing declines resulting from poor working situations, and people shortages can make it more durable for the incarcerated to depart their cells or search reduction from excessive temperatures.

A great way into labor-related tales is to search out out what state workplace handles staff’ compensation claims. In Texas, for instance, it’s the State Workplace of Danger Administration.

Contemplate asking:

What number of staff’ compensation claims or different stories of heat-related sicknesses or accidents have been recorded amongst staff. You might wish to have these damaged down by yr over a 5 or 10-year interval. If doable, you must request them by facility or area, in addition to the kinds of sicknesses or accidents.
How a lot was paid out by the state for these claims every year.
For any supporting documentation not topic to HIPAA or different privateness considerations describing the character of those heat-related accidents and sicknesses.

Staffing and jail inhabitants information may be obtained in a number of methods:

Information that embody staffing numbers at completely different time limits, akin to month-to-month correctional officer rosters. Generally these come from businesses, however they may also be surfaced in data that’s reported and compiled on the state or native stage, such because the Annual Complete Monetary Report.
Information that may rely the incarcerated inhabitants over time, like common day by day counts or particular person inmate rosters. These information nearly all the time come from correctional departments.

Excessive warmth danger is spreading

Whereas this situation has traditionally affected prisons in Southern states, local weather change is inflicting increased temperatures over longer durations in different areas, too. For instance, the historic “warmth dome” throughout the Pacific Northwest in 2021 created harmful situations for incarcerated individuals in that area.

In the event you’re in a state that hasn’t handled excessive warmth traditionally, take into account asking your facility about their planning and preparedness within the occasion of a warmth wave. You may additionally analysis if any climate information are being damaged in your state by utilizing the instruments we’ve offered right here. Native meteorologists, Nationwide Climate Service officers targeted in your area and local weather scientists can all converse to native and regional traits.

Deaths from excessive warmth are underreported

Each “1-degree improve above 85 levels Fahrenheit in prisons with out air con was related to a 0.7% improve within the danger of day by day mortality,” in keeping with a Brown College research of heat-related mortality in Texas prisons from 2001 to 2019. (You’ll be able to learn professional testimony in regards to the research right here, beginning on web page 150.)

One massive problem for confirming heat-related deaths is that top temperatures exacerbate different well being points, together with heart problems, bronchial asthma, diabetes and extra. An post-mortem won’t point out heatstroke or hyperthermia as the reason for loss of life. As an alternative, the trigger might be listed as one thing else, akin to a coronary heart or bronchial asthma assault.

Contemplate asking a health worker or coroner for loss of life information to look at causes of loss of life throughout warmth emergencies.

Psychological well being and violence

Researchers have discovered that hotter temperatures are related to extra violence and self-harm behind bars. Individuals have faked suicide and even harmed themselves with a view to be transferred to an air conditioned infirmary or psychiatric middle.

One associated issue is that some psychotropic drugs and blood strain medicine have an effect on the physique’s means to manage temperature, so individuals might cease taking their drugs when it’s excessively sizzling. Here’s a information from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention on medication-heat interactions.

Contemplate requesting incident stories for a interval of a number of years to see if there’s an uptick throughout summer time months or throughout particular warmth waves.

Ineffective cooling measures

Amenities typically use giant industrial followers that recirculate sizzling air; evaporative coolers referred to as “swamp coolers,” which aren’t as efficient as air con in climates with each extreme warmth and excessive humidity; modified ice chests with followers; and cooling rags. Amenities might also inform you that they distribute ice, water, and Gatorade; arrange cooling facilities; and restrict out of doors recreation.

It’s essential to substantiate this stuff are taking place however these are all momentary stopgap measures that both aren’t very efficient at reducing somebody’s temperature or aren’t sustainable throughout a big facility. For instance, the CDC advises that utilizing followers when it’s greater than 90 levels Fahrenheit can improve physique temperature. The CDC additionally has security suggestions for individuals with out air con of their houses, however of us behind bars sometimes aren’t capable of take these precautions.

Interviewing key sources

We’ve compiled inquiries to ask a few of the essential stakeholders on this situation, together with corrections officers, advocacy teams and legal professionals, and incarcerated individuals.

Inquiries to ask incarcerated sources

Private narratives are important for serving to audiences perceive how insufferable extreme warmth feels behind bars, and may spotlight the distinctive measures individuals take to manage. Listed here are examples of private narratives on surviving excessive warmth behind bars, which The Marshall Mission produced in collaboration with the Jail Journalism Mission.

Contemplate merely documenting the experiences of individuals in prisons or jails throughout warmth emergencies. Their firsthand accounts are sometimes attention-grabbing sufficient for an preliminary story, and mean you can develop your ongoing protection or a bigger investigation down the street. Listed here are some questions chances are you’ll wish to ask incarcerated individuals:

How do you put together for excessive warmth? Are there particular objects you attempt to top off on at your jail’s commissary and the way a lot do these objects value?
What measures do you’re taking to outlive the warmth? Have you ever taken different actions to chill down during times of utmost warmth?
Have you ever ever stopped taking drugs as a result of it exacerbated the warmth?
Does excessive warmth forestall you from taking part in routine actions, akin to visiting hours, courses and out of doors recreation?
Have you ever ever seen a temperature studying throughout the jail? When and the place was this, and what did it say?
Do you might have entry to satisfactory water, ice, cooling rags, followers or different hydration and cooling measures? How steadily do you obtain this stuff?
How would you describe the warmth for somebody dwelling on the skin who has by no means skilled it earlier than?

You can too reframe these inquiries to ask members of the family and associates of incarcerated individuals to grasp what they fear about and what they hear from their liked one. Lastly, search for the “lifer angle” — somebody who’s serving an extended or life sentence. They’ll clarify how the warmth has gotten worse over the previous few many years.

Inquiries to ask services

Typically, step one is to evaluate an company’s preparedness for mitigating excessive warmth and establishing a baseline of how many individuals might be affected by a warmth wave.

Listed here are a couple of inquiries to ask the general public data officer of the sheriff’s workplace that runs your native jail and your state’s corrections company:

Do you might have any official insurance policies, procedures or protocols that relate to warmth or warmth mitigation?
Do you might have any warmth emergency plans?
Are you able to present a listing of which services have common or partial air con and which don’t?
Do you might have any insurance policies associated to permissible temperature ranges in dwelling areas?
Do you might have any insurance policies associated to most indoor temperatures?
Are there any compliance information associated to facility temperatures? Do these information embody temperature measurements? If that’s the case, how and when are temperatures recorded? (Typically, services don’t log temperatures, however they might be required to in the event that they’ve undergone scrutiny. In Texas, there have been considerations about temperature logs being falsified.)
Are there emergency name buttons in cells for somebody to make use of if they’re experiencing the signs of warmth stroke?
What are the protocols for responding to an emergency name?
What share of your incarcerated inhabitants lives in air conditioned housing areas? (The phrasing right here is essential as a result of officers might attempt to inform you that somebody has entry to air con, however some individuals solely have entry at restricted instances, akin to in a classroom for a weekly class. It’s widespread for big dwelling areas to lack air con, whereas smaller areas, like school rooms, docs’ workplaces and administrative workplaces could also be climate-controlled.)

Inquiries to ask advocates and legal professionals

Create a listing of the native advocacy teams in your group or area by researching and asking round. Listed here are examples of some teams which have finished work or spoken out on this situation:

Authorized and advocacy teams are nice sources for getting a primary take a look at upcoming lawsuits or connecting with individuals behind bars and their households. For instance, The Marshall Mission lined a class-action lawsuit in Missouri introduced by a authorized advocacy group. Listed here are some questions chances are you’ll wish to ask the organizations in your space:

Have they got earlier or upcoming lawsuits associated to warmth in prisons?
Are they conscious of harmful warmth affecting any particular services in current reminiscence?
Can they share authorized documentation with you, akin to: official authorized complaints; case supplies like sworn statements from individuals explaining their expertise within the warmth; professional testimony, stories and analysis; and different objects akin to graphs and maps? Relying on how a lot you get, the authorized paperwork alone might be sufficient materials for an preliminary story. Understand that legal professionals might have already finished a number of background analysis, which might prevent time, although you’ll nonetheless wish to truth verify their findings.
Can they introduce you to households who’re suing over wrongful deaths? When you join with a household or their legal professionals, you possibly can ask them about autopsies, grievances that have been filed earlier than the loss of life of their liked one and some other documentation they might have or might purchase.
Do they know of anybody else behind bars who shouldn’t be named in a lawsuit however who can be all in favour of talking with an area reporter on this situation?
Do they know of any incarcerated staff whose job it’s to log temperatures?
Do they know some other members of the family or associates on the skin who might aid you join with their liked one inside?

Assets

Lawsuits

Here’s a checklist of some high-profile lawsuits associated to excessive warmth behind bars. Texas has been floor zero for such authorized battles. In 2011, not less than 10 individuals in Texas prisons died from warmth stroke, and an evaluation by The Texas Tribune discovered that dozens of individuals in Texas prisons died throughout a warmth wave in 2023 from heart-related or undetermined causes.

There have additionally been circumstances in different sizzling states like Louisiana, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Georgia and Missouri, amongst others. When protecting this situation, citing related lawsuits in different states can present audiences with essential context, which is what The Marshall Mission did on this version of our Closing Argument e-newsletter.

Whereas not exhaustive, this checklist paints a broad image of what has transpired legally.

Texas

Tiede v. Collier: In March 2025, a federal choose dominated on a brief injunction request that it’s “plainly unconstitutional” for state prisons to be extraordinarily sizzling, however the choose didn’t require that air con be put in. Bernie Tiede filed the preliminary lawsuit in 2023. A handful of nonprofit organizations joined in 2024 and filed a criticism in opposition to Bryan Collier, the manager director of the Texas Division of Prison Justice. The submitting expanded “the plaintiffs to incorporate each inmate incarcerated in uncooled Texas prisons,” in keeping with The Texas Tribune. Learn the case description and associated paperwork right here, offered by the Sabin Heart for Local weather Change Regulation at Columbia.
Cole v. Collier: In 2018, the Texas Division of Prison Justice agreed to settle this lawsuit by putting in air con in a single facility, the Wallace Pack Unit, which is described as a geriatric jail. Regardless of this landmark victory, air con was not put in in different Texas prisons. This was a class-action lawsuit filed in 2014 by a number of individuals incarcerated on the facility. See associated paperwork right here, offered by the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse on the College of Michigan Regulation College.

Louisiana

Voice of the Skilled v. LeBlanc: In Might 2025, a federal choose in Louisiana dominated that officers have to take particular precautions when incarcerated persons are doing out of doors work and the warmth index rises above 88 levels. The class-action swimsuit was filed in 2023 by a bunch of incarcerated individuals at Louisiana State Penitentiary, referred to as Angola, and the grassroots group Voice of the Skilled, in collaboration with Rights Behind Bars and Promise of Justice. The defendants embody the jail’s warden at the moment, Louisiana’s state division of corrections, and Jail Enterprises. This lawsuit highlighted the hazard of warmth in prisons throughout the bigger context of pressured handbook labor. The Sabin Heart for Local weather Change Regulation at Columbia gives case paperwork and descriptions right here.
Alex A. v. Edwards: In 2022, the American Civil Liberties Union and attorneys for the households of younger individuals being transferred to Louisiana State Penitentiary, referred to as Angola, sued the governor at the moment and different officers to cease these transfers. Many abusive situations have been cited within the lawsuit, together with harmful warmth with out entry to air con. In 2023, a choose ordered that the kids be moved to a different facility. Learn the associated paperwork right here, offered by the ACLU.
Ball v. LeBlanc: In Might 2019, a settlement was reached on a six-year civil rights lawsuit introduced by three individuals on loss of life row in Louisiana. The settlement got here after a number of years of authorized twists and turns, detailed on this abstract. The settlement settlement finally required that the plaintiffs obtain particular cures, together with “IcyBreeze” items (a model title for modified ice chests), the diversion of cool air from one other space, day by day showers of not less than quarter-hour, and particular person containers with ice and followers. It is a slender treatment that doesn’t profit different incarcerated individuals in the identical facility. The Related Press uncovered that the litigation value taxpayers greater than $1 million. Learn associated paperwork right here, offered by the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse on the College of Michigan Regulation College.

Different notable pending lawsuits embody:

Missouri

In Might 2025, the MacArthur Justice Heart introduced a class-action lawsuit in opposition to officers on the Missouri Division of Corrections on behalf of individuals incarcerated at Algoa Correctional Heart. The lawsuit highlights the distinctive risks of warmth for individuals in solitary confinement who can’t go away their cells and don’t have emergency name buttons, in addition to the have an effect on on medically weak populations. Learn the criticism right here.

Florida

In October 2024, the Florida Justice Institute filed a lawsuit on behalf of incarcerated individuals at Dade Correctional Establishment in opposition to the Florida Division of Corrections. The advocacy group is asking that the intense warmth be dominated as unconstitutional underneath the Eighth Modification and that the jail company take mitigation measures, together with putting in air con. See associated paperwork right here, offered by the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse on the College of Michigan Regulation College.

Together with litigation about warmth within prisons, there have additionally been lawsuits concerning unsafe temperatures in jail transport autos in Arizona and New Mexico, in addition to a lawsuit in Georgia concerning publicity to blistering out of doors temperatures.

The fundamentals of utmost warmth

You’ll be able to lookup historic climate knowledge for town, area or on your native jail or jail with instruments from the Nationwide Climate Service, Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Climate Underground.

Understand that out of doors temperatures may be decrease than indoor temperatures because of the age and design of the jail and jail buildings, which can lure warmth. This MIT research has useful temperature knowledge and graphics on this matter and this Intercept map exhibits local weather dangers, together with warmth, for hundreds of services.

Listed here are widespread definitions of weather-related phrases:

Excessive warmth: The Federal Emergency Administration Company defines excessive warmth as an extended interval (not less than two to a few days) of excessive warmth and humidity with temperatures above 90 levels Fahrenheit.

Warmth advisory: The Nationwide Climate Service points a warmth advisory when it anticipates that the warmth index will attain 105 levels Fahrenheit or the temperature will attain 100 levels Fahrenheit throughout the subsequent 24 hours.

Warmth index: The Nationwide Climate Service describes the warmth index as “what the temperature feels prefer to the human physique when relative humidity is mixed with the air temperature.” The climate service warns {that a} warmth index of 125 levels Fahrenheit or increased is extraordinarily harmful, and warmth stroke is very doubtless. Here’s a warmth index calculator, a warmth index chart exhibiting when situations turn into harmful and a useful explainer. (It’s value noting that researchers at UC Berkeley discovered that the warmth index itself underestimates perceived temperatures on the most well liked days.)

Moist bulb globe temperature: “A measure of the warmth stress in direct daylight, which takes under consideration: temperature, humidity, wind velocity, solar angle and cloud cowl (photo voltaic radiation),” in keeping with the Nationwide Climate Service. Right here’s a useful explainer and native information phase on this matter.

Warmth stroke: “A extreme heat-related sickness that entails a major elevation in physique temperatures, normally on account of extended publicity to excessive temperatures or bodily exertion in excessive temperatures,” in keeping with Dr. Bilal Bangash, who outlines danger components on this American Medical Affiliation explainer. The best danger of creating heatstroke happens when the out of doors warmth index is greater than 90 levels Fahrenheit.

Professional sources

Amite Dominick, Texas Prisons Group Advocates, founder and president. Dominick has labored with lawmakers to file payments in Texas requesting humane temperatures in jail cells. She has offered professional testimony, organized consciousness occasions and co-authored stories, together with Excessive Temperatures and COVID19 in Texas Prisons. Electronic mail: amite.dominick@tpcadvocates.org

David Fathi, American Civil Liberties Union, director of the ACLU Nationwide Jail Mission. The challenge challenges the situations of confinement in prisons, jails and different detention services and has efficiently challenged excessive warmth in a variety of prisons and jails all through the U.S. From 2012 to 2015, Fathi represented the ACLU in negotiations resulting in adoption of the United Nations revised normal minimal guidelines for the remedy of prisoners, referred to as the “Nelson Mandela Guidelines.” Electronic mail: media@aclu.org

Corene Kendrick, American Civil Liberties Union, deputy director of the ACLU Nationwide Jail Mission. She labored with a medical professional to problem the situations of confinement of youngsters within the former loss of life row constructing at Louisiana State Jail at Angola, the place the younger individuals have been incarcerated in the course of the summer time in a constructing with damaged air con. She additionally advocated for incarcerated pregnant individuals and for individuals taking psychotropic drugs in Arizona prisons to be assured entry to cooler housing items. She has spoken extensively with a number of media shops about inhumane situations in U.S. carceral services. Electronic mail: media@aclu.org

Wilfredo Laracuente, Alternatives for a Higher Tomorrow, workforce growth specialist. Laracuente teaches workforce readiness abilities to younger adults. He shares reporting and insights on the prison justice system by his e-newsletter From Inside to Influence. Beforehand incarcerated for 20 years within the maximum-security Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York, Laracuente can share his lived experiences concerning numerous situations behind bars, together with harmful warmth. Electronic mail: Laracuente2125@gmail.com

Scott Medlock, ACLU of Colorado, workers lawyer. Medlock’s class-action lawsuits have resulted within the set up of air con in two Texas prisons, together with a geriatric facility, and “a few of the largest injury awards ever paid by the state of Texas to the households of prisoners who died of heatstroke.” In his earlier position for the Texas Civil Rights Mission, Medlock created the group’s prisoners’ rights program. Electronic mail: smedlock@aclu-co.org

Dr. Judy Melinek, board licensed forensic pathologist. Melinek has 25 years of expertise in trigger and method of loss of life willpower. She has served as an professional witness in civil and prison proceedings involving in-custody deaths. As a medical police coach, Melinek may converse on the hazards of medical neglect, environmental situations, bodily abuse and restraint. She wrote this forensic primer for journalists and can assist interpret loss of life documentation. Contact type: https://www.pathologyexpert.com/contact-us/

Ufuoma Ovienmhada, College of Arizona, Baker endowed postdoctoral analysis affiliate in local weather change and human resilience. Ovienmhada researches the environmental hazards skilled by incarcerated individuals and co-authored this research analyzing the dangers of summer time warmth in U.S. prisons. She leads the Poisonous Prisons Mapping Mission, which is a digital instrument to help environmental justice advocacy for prisons. Electronic mail: ufuoma@arizona.edu

J. Carlee Purdum, College of Houston, assistant professor of sociology with a college appointment at UH Inhabitants Well being. Purdum’s analysis pursuits embody “how prisons and incarcerated individuals are impacted by hazards and disasters,” together with excessive warmth in addition to jail emergency administration coverage and observe. She is a co-author of this report, which provides evaluation of surveys of greater than 300 incarcerated individuals in Texas about carceral warmth mitigation insurance policies. Electronic mail: jcpurdum@uh.edu

Marci Marie Ray, Lioness Justice Impacted Ladies’s Alliance, director of group engagement. Ray shares her expertise of being incarcerated in a Texas jail for a decade to make clear the realities of incarceration by numerous platforms, together with her TikTok account, which has practically 300,000 followers, in addition to On the Rec Yard: Ladies’s Jail Podcast. Electronic mail: marcimarie@lionessjiwa.org

Jennifer Toon, Lioness Justice Impacted Ladies’s Alliance, government director. Toon leads a nonprofit group based and led by ladies, girls and gender-expansive people who find themselves presently or previously incarcerated. Toon labored with Ray and several other different researchers to co-author this research on how disasters have an effect on the bodily and psychological well being of incarcerated girls. Toon additionally co-hosts On the Rec Yard: Ladies’s Jail Podcast. Electronic mail: jennifer@lionessjiwa.org

Jeremy Tripp, One Voice United, director of coverage. Tripp is a coverage advocate for a company that serves as a “conduit for correctional officers and workers to lift problems with concern and voice their opinions.” Drawing on the experiences of corrections professionals and ongoing analysis into the shortage of HVAC methods and broader environmental components in U.S. prisons, Tripp focuses on how insufficient local weather management and excessive temperature swings undermine the well being, security and job efficiency of those that reside and work behind the partitions. Beforehand, he was the director of presidency and political affairs for the Michigan Corrections Group. Electronic mail: Jeremy@onevoiceunited.org

Eldon Vail, former corrections administrator. Vail is a correctional advisor and has been retained to do professional work in 22 states. He was a corrections administrator for practically 35 years, serving as secretary of the Washington State Division of Corrections for 4 years and deputy secretary for seven years. Electronic mail: Nodleliav@comcast.web

Associated research

There are lots of related research on warmth in carceral settings, and local weather change extra broadly, which are cited in information protection. Here’s a non-exhaustive checklist of associated research to reference in your reporting. You can too attain out to the co-authors of those research as potential professional sources.

Model and requirements

Take a look at our “Assets to Energy Your Prison Justice Reporting” for steerage on stylistic ideas akin to people-first language, knowledgeable consent and extra.