As temperatures soar, judge tells Louisiana to help protect prisoners working in fields

FILE - A prison guard rides a horse alongside prisoners as they return from farm work detail at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La., on Aug. 18, 2011. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Jackson issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday, July 3, 2024, giving the state department of corrections seven days to provide a plan to improve conditions on the so-called Farm Line at Louisiana State Penitentiary, otherwise known as Angola.

Jackson called on the state to make changes to policies dealing with heat. He pointed to everything from inadequate shade and breaks from work and a failure to provide workers with sunscreen and other basic protections, including medical checks for those especially vulnerable to high temperatures. However, the judge stopped short of shutting down the farm line altogether when heat indexes reach 88 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, which was what the plaintiffs had requested.

Lydia Wright of The Promise of Justice Initiative, an attorney for the plaintiffs, applauded the decision.

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As temperatures soar, judge tells Louisiana to help protect prisoners working in fieldsA federal judge has ordered Louisiana to take steps to protect the health and safety of incarcerated workers toiling in the fields of a former slave plantation. He says they face “substantial risk of injury or death” in blistering summer temperatures. U.S.
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