Deaths, Medical Transfers, and Infirmary Visits Among Incarcerated People in Pennsylvania Following Extreme Ambient Temperatures

• In Event: 41055 - Sociology of Law Open Topics II

Abstract

Over the past several decades, the United States experienced an unprecedented expansion of its prison population, coinciding with the intensification of extreme temperatures driven by climate change. This study examined excess deaths, medical transfers, and infirmary visits associated with extreme hot and cold temperatures in Pennsylvania state prisons. Using administrative data on people incarcerated in Pennsylvania state prisons (2000-2023) and outdoor temperature data, we estimated risk associated with the hottest and coldest 1% of the temperature distribution using distributed lag time series models. We observed an increased risk of all-cause mortality (RR 1.46, 95% CI: 1.03, 2.06) associated with extreme heat exposure compared to a reference temperature of 20 degrees C. Extreme cold exposure was associated with reductions in infirmary visits (RR0.90, 95% CI: 0.83, 0.96), but a rise in medical transfers among adults aged 55+ (RR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.58). Our findings contribute to the growing research on the adverse health implications of climate change for incarcerated populations and institutional responses to these harms. As climate change continues to amplify temperature extremes, particularly in the frequency, duration, and severity of heatwaves, policy action including decarceration is urgently needed to protect the health of incarcerated populations.

Authors

• Jaquelyn Jahn, Drexel University

• Claudia Anderson, Florida State University

• Jessica T. Simes, Boston University

• Leah H. Schinasi, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health

• Michael Leung, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

• Josiah L. Kephart, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health

• Bruce Western, Columbia University