Uncovering the Health Impacts of Extreme Temperatures in Western United States Prisons through Interdisciplinary Architectural and Epidemiological Methods

Authors

• Serena Langdon-Dimidjian, University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Environmental DesignFollow
• Allison Macht, University of Colorado Anschutz, Department of Internal MedicineFollow
• Shawhin Roudbari, University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Environmental DesignFollow
• Katherine LeMasters, University of Colorado Anschutz, Department of Internal MedicineFollow
• David Ciplet, University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Environmental StudiesFollow
• Elizabeth Corrado, University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Environmental StudiesFollow
• Michael Clifton, University of Colorado Anschutz, Department of Internal MedicineFollow
• Bob Eisman, Free WorldFollow

Abstract

Mass incarceration is a public health and architectural crisis in the United States. Extreme temperatures present mental and physical health challenges for incarcerated populations, exacerbated by the architectural strategies of carceral spaces. At the intersection of architecture and epidemiology we investigated how participants could leverage architectural drawings to analyze the inhumane temperatures they experienced in state prisons. Through interviews and focus groups with formerly incarcerated people, we found that the method of participatory architectural drawing allowed participants and researchers to spatialize the impact of extreme temperatures on mental and physical health as mediated by architectural space. Through a collaboration between public health, design, and sociology researchers we showcase how this method makes visible carceral experiences and builds reciprocity with researchers through the co-creation of architecture drawings. These findings are intended to support generation of policies and practices that mitigate mental and physical harm from extreme temperatures in carceral settings.

Keywords

incarceration, extreme temperature, interdisciplinary design method, epidemiology

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2627

Citation

Langdon-Dimidjian, S., Macht, A., Roudbari, S., LeMasters, K., Ciplet, D., Corrado, E., Clifton, M., and Eisman, B. (2026) Uncovering the Health Impacts of Extreme Temperatures in Western United States Prisons through Interdisciplinary Architectural and Epidemiological Methods, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2627

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License