Pennsylvania’s aging prisons weren’t built for today’s extreme weather - leaving women and seniors especially at risk of illness and death
An epidemiological study reveals that Pennsylvania's aging prison infrastructure is ill-equipped to handle extreme temperature fluctuations, leading to increased health risks for inmates. The report highlights that incarcerated individuals, particularly women and the elderly, suffer from higher rates of illness and death due to inadequate climate control.
Why it matters
The findings raise significant human rights and public health concerns regarding the conditions of confinement in aging correctional facilities facing climate change.
People in prison can’t just switch on the air conditioning when it starts to swelter. Mark Makela/Getty Images Pennsylvania’s aging prisons weren’t built for today’s extreme weather – leaving women and seniors especially at risk of illness and death Published: October 16, 2026 1.23pm BST https://theconversation.com/pennsylvanias-aging-prisons-werent-built-for-todays-extreme-weather-leaving-women-and-seniors-especially-at-risk-of-illness-and-death-293079 https://theconversation.com/pennsylvanias-aging-prisons-werent-built-for-todays-extreme-weather-leaving-women-and-seniors-especially-at-risk-of-illness-and-death-293079 Link copied Share article Share article
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When outdoor temperatures spike to 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius), or drop to -9 F (-23 C), like they did across Pennsylvania last year, people locked up in jails and prisons cannot simply turn on the air conditioning or find a public warming center.
For several years, people in custody, advocates and local media have sounded the alarm about the dangers posed by extreme temperatures in Pennsylvania’s state prisons.
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