ELMORE, Ala.—Tiffany Montellano can’t sleep.

Instead, she lies awake, worried about her husband Andrew, 31, who is incarcerated at Elmore Correctional Facility just north of Montgomery, Alabama’s state capital.

She worries because a few days ago, she received a call during her lunch break from Andrew, who had missed their usual call the night before.

He told her he had become dizzy the previous day because of the overwhelming heat inside the un-air-conditioned, 200-person dorm where he’s housed.

“He said the room wouldn’t stop spinning, and they had to hook him up to an IV,” Montellano said.