‘Can’t breathe’: As heat becomes extreme, inmates are increasingly threatened by heat

Steve Brooks’ cell has no windows or air conditioning, so he relies on two eight-inch fans when it’s stifling inside California’s oldest prison. There’s no access to ice or cold water, and during periodic power outages, there’s no electricity.

“It’s kind of like you’re hyperventilating. The room’s closing in,” said Brooks, who’s incarcerated in San Quentin Rehabilitation Center and has published articles about extreme heat behind bars.