California exempts prisons from requiring workplace heat protection despite risks to inmates

California prisons are exempt from new indoor heating rules, raising concerns as extreme heat poses a growing risk to incarcerated workers.

Hilary Beaumont reports for Capital & Main.

In summary:

• In many California prisons, built in hot areas without air conditioning, inmates are exposed to intense heat while working, which can lead to illness and death.
• New state heat regulations exclude prisons because of costs, even as advocates call for immediate protections for inmates.
• Proposition 6, a November ballot measure, aims to eliminate forced prison labor and related penalties.

Key quote:

“It’s about restoring human decency and monetizing rehabilitation rather than exploitation.”

– Lawrence Cox, Advocacy and Organization Attorney, Legal Counsel for Prisoners with Children

Why this is important:

As climate change worsens, prisoners face increasing dangers from heat. Without adequate workplace protections, health risks and deaths in already overheating prisons are likely to increase. Forced labor in unsafe conditions raises legal and ethical concerns.