In America's prisons, suicide risk rises along with temperatures
Punishing heat is a fact of life inside America’s prisons without air conditioning, and it is taking a serious toll on prisoners’ mental health. When the outside thermometer hits 90 degrees Fahrenheit or more, a new study shows that prison suicide risk jumps 36%, in comparison to when temperatures are in the 60s.
Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.