Texas prisons must install air conditioning to protect inmates
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A federal judge in Austin, Texas ordered the state’s prisons to install air conditioning units by the end of 2029.
Nearly 90,000 inmates spent last summer in cells without air conditioning, and witnesses testified in court that they and fellow prisoners became sick, fainted, and attempted to cool down using water from toilets. Judge Robert Pitman ruled that the conditions in Texas prisons violate the Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.
Civil rights groups and inmate representatives filed the lawsuit against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which manages most of the state’s prisons. Though some prisons are privately or federally run, the majority of inmates are held in facilities overseen by the state. The judge ordered the department to report progress on planning and installation every six months, stating that financial concerns cannot justify delays. The state may face costs of $1.5 billion to complete the project.
