Extreme heat in prisons brings more legal challenges and pressure to states Nation Aug 23, 2025 2:21 PM EDT

This article originally appeared on Stateline .

Summer heat is bearing down on U.S. prisons, where temperatures in uncooled cells can climb well into the triple digits.

Facing growing pressure from advocacy groups, lawsuits and climate projections that show hotter days ahead, some state prison systems are moving to install air conditioning and expand cooling measures — though many facilities remain years away from significant upgrades.

READ MORE: ‘I thought I was going to die there.’ What it’s like to live with rising temperatures in prison

But in other states, such efforts have stalled or failed. That may lead to more lawsuits in the future, experts say, even as judges ma

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