California’s budget crunch has cut into efforts to reduce heat deaths in the state’s prison system.
The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation asked for $23.6 million in fiscal 2026 to start what it called an “air cooling pilot program,” in the wake of a death at a state women’s prison.
Lawmakers ultimately cut the request by about a fourth, to $17.6 million, as they struggled with a statewide budget deficit. Separately, the state prison system is spending $245 million over five years to install air conditioning at five prison units.
California’s prison system is already caught between competing priorities, and the budget pressure has only added to the conflict, said Brian Kaneda, the Los Angeles coordinator for the nonprofit group Californians United for a Responsible Budget, which advocates for closing prisons.
