Europe’s Heatwaves Expose Overcrowding Crisis in Ageing Prisons

Extreme Heat Intensifies Europe’s Prison Crisis

As record breaking heatwaves continue to sweep across Europe, prisons in France, Italy and Belgium are facing mounting pressure from overcrowding, ageing infrastructure and inadequate cooling systems, exposing what prison officials, inmates and rights groups describe as a growing humanitarian challenge.

With temperatures exceeding 37 degrees Celsius in many areas this summer, inmates and prison staff say prolonged heat has turned already overcrowded facilities into dangerous living conditions, prompting renewed calls for prison reforms and infrastructure upgrades.

Reuters spoke to more than 40 inmates, prison officials, doctors, lawyers, union representatives and activists across the three countries, many of whom said this summer’s extreme temperatures have highlighted longstanding structural weaknesses within Europe’s prison systems.

French Inmates Describe Dangerous Living Conditions

At Orleans Saran prison in central France, 29 year old inmate Manu said surviving the heat required constant improvisation. He placed wet towels over his barred window to cool his cell and spent most of the day lying still to conserve energy.

“You have to deal with it mentally,” he said.

France’s Chief Prison Inspector Dominique Simonnot said her office received an unprecedented number of complaints during the June heatwave, forcing it to recruit additional staff to handle the surge.

She described conditions in many prisons as unbearable, noting that three or four inmates are often confined inside nine square metre cells in ageing buildings without air conditioning.

One inmate at Limoges prison reportedly lost consciousness during the heat and suffered a head injury. While his lawyer attributed the incident to heat exhaustion, prison union representatives said he slipped while trying to reach a window for fresh air. Reuters could not independently verify either account.

French authorities said prisons increased access to drinking water, showers, sun cream and allowed inmates to purchase electric fans where possible.

Justice Ministry spokesperson Sacha Straub Kahn acknowledged that overcrowding remains a major obstacle to protecting prisoners during extreme weather.

Overcrowding Reaches Critical Levels

Government and prison monitoring data show prison occupancy has reached alarming levels across several European countries.

France recorded an average prison occupancy rate of 141.3 percent in July.

Italy’s prisons were operating at approximately 139.7 percent capacity, according to prison rights organisation Antigone.

Belgium reported an occupancy rate of 121 percent in August.

Experts warn that overcrowding significantly increases heat exposure by placing multiple inmates into small, poorly ventilated cells originally designed for far fewer people.

Italy Introduces Emergency Measures

Italian prison rights organisations staged coordinated visits to 34 prisons in July to highlight deteriorating conditions during the heatwave.

Antigone President Patrizio Gonnella criticised the lack of basic cooling facilities, arguing that inmates spending up to twenty hours each day inside their cells face increasingly unsafe conditions.

Italy’s Justice Ministry allocated 800,000 euros for prisons to purchase fans and refrigerators and pledged to create an additional 10,000 prison places before the end of the year.

However, official data show no new prison spaces have yet been completed.

Separately, Italy passed legislation allowing thousands of prisoners with drug or alcohol addiction to serve sentences under supervised rehabilitation programmes at home, aiming to reduce overcrowding.

Authorities also agreed to remove perspex window barriers from prisons in Cosenza after concerns that they restricted ventilation.

Belgian Prisons Report Rising Violence

Belgian prison officials say prolonged heat has increased tensions among inmates and staff.

At Ghent prison, Director Pieter Van Caeneghem said the facility currently houses 447 inmates despite having space for only 260.

He warned that every challenge associated with overcrowding becomes significantly worse during extreme heat.

At Merksplas prison, Director Serge Rooman said officials began relaxing certain security procedures several years ago by keeping windows open overnight and opening prison doors to improve airflow during heatwaves.

Those temporary measures have since become part of official prison guidance.

Rooman argued that the greatest problem remains outdated prison infrastructure, including poor ventilation and single glazed windows.

Governments Expand Heatwave Response

Authorities across Europe have introduced temporary measures to reduce health risks inside prisons.

France has expanded access to drinking water, showers and sun protection.

Belgium instructed prison directors to continue heat response measures into September, including increased water supplies and more frequent shower access.

Italy has focused on purchasing cooling equipment while pursuing legislative reforms aimed at easing prison overcrowding.

Despite these measures, prison officials and rights groups argue that temporary responses cannot resolve deeper structural problems affecting Europe’s correctional systems.

Europe’s prison systems are becoming another visible casualty of climate change, where rising temperatures are exposing decades of underinvestment in public infrastructure. Heatwaves have not created the prison crisis but have amplified existing problems such as overcrowding, ageing facilities and inadequate ventilation. While governments have responded with temporary measures including fans, additional showers and water supplies, these interventions do little to address the structural deficiencies that leave thousands of inmates vulnerable during periods of extreme heat. As climate driven weather events become more frequent, European governments may face growing legal, humanitarian and political pressure to modernise prison infrastructure while tackling chronic overcrowding that continues to undermine both inmate welfare and prison security.

With information from Reuters.