What this means
Extreme temperatures pose severe risks for population health and healthcare systems. However, little research has examined implications for incarcerated populations, who may be particularly vulnerable given their limited control over their thermal environments.
A plain-English summary is on its way. Until then, this is the start of the authors' own summary.
- Who it was tested in
- People
- Kind of research
- A study
The science
- Original title
- Mortality and healthcare services in Pennsylvania state prisons following extreme ambient temperatures.
- Authors
- Jahn JL, Anderson CN, Simes JT et al.
- Journal
- Nature communications
- Published
- Oct 22, 2026
- Study type
- Study · in humans
- PMID
- 42907435 ↗
Abstract
Extreme temperatures pose severe risks for population health and healthcare systems. However, little research has examined implications for incarcerated populations, who may be particularly vulnerable given their limited control over their thermal environments. Here, we show that among people imprisoned in Pennsylvania (2000-2023), both warmer and cooler temperatures were significantly associated with higher rates of mortality, transfers to outside medical facilities and prison infirmary admissions, relative to outcome-specific reference minimum threshold temperatures. As temperature extremes become more frequent and severe, policy action including decarceration and the provision of accessible prison healthcare is urgently needed to protect the health of incarcerated populations.
Jahn JL, Anderson CN, Simes JT et al. Mortality and healthcare services in Pennsylvania state prisons following extreme ambient temperatures. Nature communications. 2026. doi:10.1038/s41467-026-78012-y. PMID: 42907435. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42907435/
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