As Prisons Deal With Heat Waves, Climate Crisis Makes Abolition Even More Urgent

"When Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana almost two decades ago, guards in a New Orleans jail panicked. With no guidance from management or the state and a rapidly worsening storm building around them, they abandoned hundreds of incarcerated people in their cells while floodwaters rose, forcing them to drink the putrid water that seeped into their cells. Back then, it was an exception. Now, such scenarios are happening with increased frequency around the country."

"Climate experts predict that climate change will continue to cause larger, more frequent, and more devastating impacts that will test the limits of our social and ecological systems. Prisons are already at that limit. Even without climate change, prisons around the country have billions of dollars worth of deferred maintenance just to stop the walls from crumbling and keep the lights and the heat on. Now, climate change is turning already miserable conditions inside of prisons into life-threatening ones."

"During the record-breaking heat waves of recent years, prisons in the usually temperate Pacific Northwest were overwhelmed. Incarcerated people were trapped in cells that reached up to 114 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) with no air-conditioning and no fans, covering themselves with cool washcloths and lying on the concrete floor to avoid heat stroke. During this time, floods devastated prisons in Dixie County, Florida, leaving incarcerated individuals stuck in ankle-deep, fetid water with human waste swirling around in it."

Climate change is intensifying extreme weather and exacerbating already crumbling prison infrastructure, creating life-threatening conditions for incarcerated people. Historical examples include Hurricane Katrina, when guards abandoned inmates to rising floodwaters, and recent record heat waves that trapped people in cells reaching 114°F without cooling. Deferred maintenance leaves facilities unable to withstand storms, floods, and heat, exposing incarcerated individuals to contaminated floodwater, extreme heat, and inadequate emergency response. Prisons operate at the limits of their social and ecological capacity, and continued increases in frequency and severity of climate events will magnify risks to health, safety, and basic human dignity.

Read at Truthout