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The Conversation
The Conversation
Jaquelyn Jahn, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Drexel University

Pennsylvania’s aging prisons weren’t built for today’s extreme weather – leaving women and seniors especially at risk of illness and death

People in prison can't just switch on the air conditioning when it starts to swelter. Mark Makela/Getty Images

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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