Hothouse blues

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Prison isn’t supposed to be fun. But it isn’t supposed to be torturous, either. But that’s what it’s been according 300 inmates on Florida’s death row, where cell temperatures often top a humid 100 degrees. The prisoners have filed a lawsuit for cruel and unusual punishment because their cells have no air conditioning or fans, according to the CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR.

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When asked about the validity of the inmates’ claim, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Corrections claims the lawsuit is based on inaccurate and incomplete temperature data, adding that some of the inmates have been on Death Row for more than 15 years and should be used to it by now.

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In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

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