As both the number of days with extreme temperatures fueled by climate change and the number of incarcerated Americans increases (roughly two million people are currently incarcerated in the U.S.), a new health crisis is emerging for many of those in Pennsylvania’s prisons, particularly for women, according to a recently published study in Nature Communications from researchers at the Dornsife School of Public Health.
Looking at two decades of data on extreme temperatures (less than 17 degrees, or more than 91 degrees Fahrenheit) in Pennsylvania’s prison facilities from 2000 through 2023, the team found a statistically significant association between those hot and cold temperatures and higher rates of death, transfers to outside medical facilities and admissions to a prison infirmary. In the paper, the authors note that the data suggests that decarceration and maintaining the accessibility of prison healthcare may be needed to protect the health of those living in the commonwealth’s prisons. The authors note that, while the data comes solely from Pennsylvania, the issues here, including the diversity of weather in the commonwealth, which has the sixth largest prison population in the United States, may be similar to those in prisons in other states.
The Drexel News Blog asked lead author Jackie Jahn, PhD, an assistant professor in the Dornsife School of Public Health, about the significance of the findings.
What did you and your colleagues find as you looked at this data?
There are a few main takeaways: First, our paper was the first to show that the crisis of extreme temperatures (hot and cold) increases demands on already strained prison healthcare systems. Prison systems in Pennsylvania and across the country are grappling with a rapidly aging incarcerated population that has a higher burden of chronic disease than non-incarcerated populations. Despite this high medical need, PA and other prison systems experience chronic staffing shortages of corrections officers, nurses and physician staff. We found that extremely hot and cold days increase rates of prison infirmary visits and transfers to external medical facilities. These demands on prison healthcare systems and staff will likely increase as the frequency and intensity of extreme temperatures continue to worsen in the coming decades.
Second, we were surprised to find that women and those in solitary confinement may be particularly affected by extreme heat. Previous studies haven’t consistently shown that women are more vulnerable to heat-related health risks than men, but these studies were conducted in the general population, not among people in prison. While we weren’t able to dive deeper into mechanisms behind these findings, previous research points to menopause as a lifecourse period where incarcerated women may be especially harmed by extreme heat, and social isolation, like solitary confinement, is a widely recognized risk factor during heat waves.
How does an increase in the U.S. prison population over the past few decades coinciding with worsening climate change, create a growing risk for the health and well-being of incarcerated populations?
Rates of incarceration in Pennsylvania and nationally have exploded since the 1970s, and incarcerated populations are getting older. Across the U.S., the population of older incarcerated adults (ages 55+) increased 400% between 1993 and 2013, and over 575% by 2021. In Pennsylvania, older adults now account for over a quarter of the imprisoned population.
Older adults are at higher risk for heat-related health problems and are more vulnerable to extreme cold temperatures, making the large and growing population of older incarcerated adults an urgent issue for climate resilience planning.
In contrast with the general population, how do some aspects of the built environment in prisons and the way they operate place unique temperature-associated health risks on the population living there?
Prisons are built to prioritize security and surveillance and were not designed to ensure the health or wellbeing of the incarcerated people or staff. In Pennsylvania, there are some state prisons that date back to the 1800s, and there are six state prison facilities with partial or very limited air conditioning.
Nationally, it is common for prisons to have limited air conditioning. While many state departments of correction have heat action plans to regulate access to water, ice, or special protections for certain groups like older adults, other states have no explicit policy in place.
Although you and your colleagues looked at Pennsylvania prison data, why might people outside of the Commonwealth want to take note of these findings?
State prison systems across the country are experiencing the growing challenges of climate change and extreme temperatures alongside an aging incarcerated population that has high medical needs. These intersecting crises are not only a human rights issue, and, given vast racial inequities in rates of incarceration, a racial justice issue, they are also an enormous expense for state budgets and taxpayers. States are paying for rising healthcare costs and, increasingly, expensive litigation and court-mandated air conditioning renovations. It begs the question of whether these funds could be used to better support the health and wellbeing of this highly marginalized population and decarceration as climate resilience strategy.
Reporters interested in talking with Jahn should contact Greg Richter, assistant director, News & Media Relations, at gdr33@drexel.edu or 215.895.2614.
