‘Like an oven’: death at US women’s prison amid heatwave sparks cries for help

Woman dies at California facility as temperatures reach 110F and residents without air conditioning beg for relief

An incarcerated person at California's largest women's prison has died amid a brutal heatwave that has left residents without air conditioning begging for relief and warning of dire consequences for their health.

A woman in the Central California Women's Facility, located in the Central Valley city of Chowchilla, died on Saturday as temperatures in the region climbed above 110F (43.3C). The California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP), an advocacy group, said it appeared the woman suffered a preventable heat death. The woman's daughter told the Sacramento Bee that her mother had complained about the physical toll of the summer weather for years.