Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 259: Heat and Incarceration – Life in An Oven

In July 2024, a woman died from a heat-related illness while incarcerated at the Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla, California. According to California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP), the woman's death was due to heat stroke and prison neglect. However, CDCR claims the cause was related to pre-existing health conditions. Elizabeth Nomura, state membership organizer for the CCWP told the Guardian, “I’ve had heatstroke before [while incarcerated] and I know what it feels like to be so dehydrated that you can’t see. They are sitting in a room, toasting in what feels like an oven. They’re all suffering.” Everyday Injustice talked to Amika Mota of Sister Warriors. Mota told everyday injustice that while the Chowchilla has swamp coolers that are meant to lower temperatures and fans, they weren’t working properly. As extreme heat increases with Climate Change, this figures to become an even larger problem. The Sister Warriors are a member-led organization of over 5,000 formerly and currently incarcerated and systems-impacted women and trans people of all genders, founded in 2017 at a convening of over 200 systems-impacted people in Oakland. “We improve conditions for women and trans people of all genders by fighting for – and winning – policies and systems change that center the needs and experiences of communities most impacted by systems of exploitation, criminalization, and incarceration throughout the state.” The answer that Mota offers isn’t better cooling systems – though they are needed – it is fewer incarcerated people.