David Hamilton, et al v. Trevor Foley, et al

People incarcerated at Algoa Correctional Center in Missouri – a nearly 100-year-old prison without air conditioning – are forced to suffer through inhumane and dangerously hot conditions every summer in violation of their constitutional rights. The MacArthur Justice Center is fighting for the health and safety of our clients by demanding that Missouri Department of Corrections maintain safe and humane conditions for people confined at Algoa.  

“If you want to know what Hell feels like, it is summer at Algoa.” 2024 was the hottest year on record. That trend is expected to continue this summer in Missouri. All Missourians feel this burn. Summers bring devastating heat, including long stretches of hazardously high temperatures, and it is just getting hotter. But inside Algoa Correctional Center, one of Missouri’s minimum-security prisons without air conditioning, there is no relief from the brutal heat. Most people spend a short stint there before leaving the Missouri prison system; these are the lowest-risk offenders on their way home. For those unlucky enough to spend summer months at Algoa, however, hopes for safe homecomings are jeopardized by fears of extreme sickness, injury, and death. These fears are warranted. The heat index outside of Algoa regularly exceeds hazardous levels and reaches up to a terrifying 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Even scarier, people incarcerated there report feeling hotter inside than outside. This extreme heat exposure is dangerous for anyone, but especially those more vulnerable to heat illness and those residing in solitary confinement. Despite these well-known risks, Algoa is woefully unprepared to deal with imminent summer heat, putting everyone confined there at risk of serious harm or even death. 

MJC sued on behalf of our clients at Algoa, seeking a court order mandating Missouri Department of Corrections to maintain safe indoor temperatures and develop an expert-informed heat mitigation plan. Alternatively, Petitioners Hamilton, Perry, and Moman, who have mere months left on their sentence and suffer from both old age and medical conditions making them extremely vulnerable to heat stroke and related illness, seek immediate release.