The children allege they are held without air-conditioning, given only few minutes outside their cells, with some even being maced

Incarcerated youth in Louisiana have been locked for days in solitary confinement in a former death row prison unit, facing extreme heat in cells with no air conditioning or windows, according to declarations filed on Monday in an ACLU case.

Sworn statements from children imprisoned inside the Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola prison, allege that youth spent roughly four consecutive days in isolation earlier this month, and were given only 8min a day outside their cells to shower. On those days, the heat index, which measures how hot it feels based on humidity and temperatures, ranged from 115F to 132F (46C to 55C), placing the youth at high risk of heatstroke and other serious health impacts, according to the ACLU’s experts.