In July 2024, Adrienne Boulware, a 47-year-old mother and grandmother, died from complications related to extreme heat exhaustion while incarcerated at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla, according to her family.
Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Car-son) hopes his legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 2499 — also known as the “Adrienne Act” — will help prevent tragedies like Boulware’s death in California prisons.
“It is no secret that our state prisons have aging infrastructures that have inadequate ventilation systems,” Gipson said. “It should come as no shock that indoor temperatures in these facilities exceed 90 degrees, which means it gets really hot.”
On May 4, Gipson spoke at the Survivors Speak California Rally at the State Capitol to advocate for AB 2499, which focuses on heat and health protections in state prisons. The three-day event was organized by Californians for Safety and Justice, a project of the Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice network.
The bill passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee on April 22 with a unanimous 7-0 vote. It was referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 6 and placed in the Suspense File while lawmakers assess the overall fiscal impact of the legislation.
Boulware’s family attended the rally in support of the measure, which would require the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to establish a pilot program addressing extreme heat by July 1, 2027, in at least three prisons located in different climate zones.
Boulware’s daughter, Michela Nelson, said her mother frequently complained about heatwaves during the summer months in prison. CDCR stated that Boulware’s death — she was also known as “Twin” — appeared to be related to pre-existing medical conditions rather than extreme heat.
“My mother was not just a mother of four and grandmother of 12. She was a mother to many inside and outside of the prison,” said Nelson, the eldest of Boulware’s children. “My mother didn’t die because she was sentenced to death. She died because she was left in conditions no human being should ever endure.”
AB 2499 would formally create the Climate Justice in Prisons Emergency Response Act. The legislation would require CDCR to develop a long-term plan for installing heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and shade structures in existing facilities.
In a letter to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, Gipson wrote that the state has a “responsibility to ensure that every individual in its care is housed in safe and humane conditions” as climate impacts “intensify, dangerously high temperatures and poor air quality in prison facilities.” Visit ourweekly.com to read the full story. OW .
