Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA), alongside Representative Alma S. Adams (D-NC), is introducing the Extreme Temperatures Injustice in Prisons Act, legislation to protect incarcerated people and prison staff from dangerous temperatures in facilities managed by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
What problem is this bill addressing? Extreme temperatures inside federal prisons can pose life-threatening risks. Incarcerated individuals have limited ability to insulate themselves, and staff face occupational hazards that are routinely unregulated.
Many BOP facilities lack basic climate control, leaving people in cells where temperatures can reach deadly levels during record heat waves and winter freezes.
What lawmakers are saying:
- Rep. Lucy McBath: “Incarcerated persons do not lose their rights to basic standards of living and safety in federal prison. As states across the country face record-breaking temperatures this summer, it is common sense to require standardized installation and maintenance of HVAC systems in all federal prison facilities. This legislation is another important step towards improving our federal prison system.”
- Rep. Alma S. Adams: “The conditions in our federal prisons are unacceptable. Across all 122 BOP facilities, there are more than 138,000 incarcerated people and roughly 34,000 BOP employees who live and work in these conditions every day. No one should be forced to endure dangerous, life-threatening temperatures because of aging infrastructure. The federal government has both a moral and constitutional responsibility to maintain safe and humane conditions for those in its custody.”
Further Context: The Extreme Temperatures Injustice in Prisons Act would first authorize funding for climate control system installation and upgrades in all federal prisons within five years, with temperature monitors in every cell and workspace.
It would then direct the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) to research how extreme temperatures harm incarcerated individuals and staff and develop extra protections for elderly, pregnant, and immunocompromised individuals.
After setting clear health and safety standards for extreme heat and cold, the bill would then implement accountability measures regarding staff training for recognizing and responding to heat and cold emergencies.
