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Inmates at a prison in southwestern France are struggling to cope with an “unbearable” heatwave, which has pushed temperatures past 36°C with even higher temperatures forecast for the weekend.
The extreme heat is being exacerbated by severe overcrowding, with the facility holding more than twice its capacity.
At the Seysses detention centre near Toulouse, an AFP journalist observed fans humming and sheets hanging from windows as detainees tried to find relief.
One inmate described his 9-square-meter cell, which he shares with two other people, as feeling like 38°C because “the walls absorb the heat.”
Another detainee in the women’s section of the prison, which is built for 40 but holds 80, said the heat makes sleeping on the concrete floor difficult, but “we have no choice.”
The inmates are not asking for air conditioning but for “more ventilation or a larger cell.”
A prison guard, who requested anonymity, warned that the heat poses a security risk, as fights become “more frequent,” and even the “slightest annoyance can spark a fight.”
The prison’s facilities offer little escape, with a poorly ventilated gym and a library. While the staff is distributing free water and providing fans to the most vulnerable inmates, a planned installation of mist sprayers in the recreation yard won’t happen until next summer.
The issue highlights a growing problem for facilities across Europe that are ill-equipped to handle the more frequent and intense heatwaves caused by climate change.
