Thousands of Pa. prisoners endure summer heat without air conditioning
Note: This article features ALC client Ralph Bolden.
Spotlight PA, 07/16/24: “As extreme heat stifles Pennsylvania for a fourth week, thousands of people incarcerated in state prisons have little opportunity for relief because more than a third of the facilities lack universal air conditioning.
Of the 24 Pennsylvania state prisons, four have limited or no air conditioning in areas where incarcerated people live, work and gather. Five more have only partial coverage, according to the state Department of Corrections.
The agency is working to expand air conditioning availability in prisons when state funds and resources are available, said spokesperson Maria Bivens.
But until that happens, many incarcerated individuals are stuck in sweltering conditions.
Ralph Bolden is incarcerated at Laurel Highlands, Pennsylvania’s prison for people who are older or have complicated health needs, which does not have air conditioning in all of its housing units. Bolden described his block as a ‘sauna’ in an email to Spotlight PA.
‘Besides it being difficult to get in and out of bed, use the bathroom, etc., the heat is rougher on me and those also disabled,’ wrote Bolden, who uses a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis.
The National Weather Service has placed much of Pennsylvania under either a heat advisory or excessive heat warning for nearly a month, cautioning that the combined air temperature and humidity pose a significant health risk.”