“In Texas Prisons, Extreme Heat Makes People Angrier,” by Cesar Hernandez: “Most of us try hopelessly to get cool, sometimes collapsing from exhaustion. When it’s this hot, prison workers do less, dropping the ball on delivering ice or folding laundry. That tests everyone’s patience. ‘Sometimes physical fights do occur. For every one fight, there’s 10 almost-fights,’ Cliff said.”

“It’s 2024 and Most New York State Prisons Don’t Have Air Conditioning,” by Jared Bozydaj: “Being inside a cell during the hottest months of the year is like being cooked in an oven. Cells even resemble ovens in their architecture: smooth metal cubes with only a single door in and out. In most prisons I’ve been in, the cells lack a window. The brick-and-mortar construction of many of the older prisons captures heat all day long and then continues to radiate it throughout the cellblocks at night.”

“The Consequences of Sweltering Prisons in the Carolinas,” by Gary K. Farlow: “Like most elderly people in prison, Jimmy faces a host of health issues that the heat exacerbates. … ‘I tell my daughter that I’ve done my time in hell, so I know I’ll go to heaven.’”

“How a Trip to the Dining Hall Perfectly Captures the Summer Heat of a Florida Prison,” by Justin Slavinski: “In the summer, the walk to the dining hall is brutal. By the time I’ve received my tray, filled and downed a cup of ice water from the cooler, refilled my cup again, then sat down at the stainless steel table in the dining hall, a veritable waterfall has formed on my back.”

“The Real Cost of Heat Waves in Prison,” by Bob Eisenman: “With the most recent heat wave, the value of a fan on the black market increased to almost $100, and could be traded for stamps, coffee and canteen food. These fans may be confiscated in cell shakedowns since they are not on official property lists. But as one inmate said recently after his was taken: ‘Two months of comfort is totally worth it.’”

“What It’s Like to Be Cooked Alive in a Texas Prison,” by Khaȧliq Shakur: “My prison, which is roughly 90 minutes north of Austin, has seen inside temperatures as high as 130 degrees. When this happens, cold showers offer little relief. We are also supposed to have access to ice, but faulty ice machines mean inmates sometimes go hours in the summer without cold water. To distract ourselves, we use our state-issued tablets to listen to music or podcasts or watch movies — until the scorching heat causes them to malfunction. Bored and miserable, most inmates wrap wet towels around their bodies in an attempt to keep cool, doing anything to pass the unbearable time.”

“Prison Is the Worst Place to Start Menopause,” by Donna Hockman: “Last summer, the air conditioning went out several times over a two-month period. The temperature in the unit hovered around 83 degrees. We had large industrial fans placed in our dayroom, but all this did was circulate hot, stagnant air. With the humidity, it felt like it was 100 degrees. I remember many of us making calls to our family, asking them to call the prison and beg them to bring us ice so we could cool off.”