Texas prisons must be equipped with air conditioning by 2029
Quick Look
A federal judge in Austin has ordered Texas state prisons to be equipped with air conditioning by the end of 2029, after nearly 90,000 inmates were held in uncooled cells last summer and extreme heat was deemed inhumane and unconstitutional.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The lawsuit was filed by civil rights organizations and prisoners or their representatives against the Texas Department of Corrections, which is responsible for state prisons. The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.
Tens of thousands of prisoners in the US state of Texas are to be better protected from extreme heat in the coming years. A federal judge in the city of Austin ordered prisons in the largest state in terms of area to be equipped with air conditioning by the end of 2029. Almost 90,000 inmates had to serve their sentences last summer in cells without air conditioning, the court said.
Judge Robert Pitman based his decision on the fact that temperatures in Texas can rise to more than 50 degrees Celsius. "Inmates in Texas prisons suffer - and in some cases die - from extreme heat every summer," it said.
Witnesses testified in court that she and her fellow inmates became ill, fainted and desperately tried to cool down. It was “common” to splash yourself with water from the toilet to cool down. “These are not humane prison conditions,” the judge ruled.
A group of civil rights organizations sued together with inmates or their representatives. Their lawsuit was directed against the agency responsible for the state's prisons. There are also privately or federally operated prisons, which, however, contain significantly fewer prisoners.
The federal judge in Austin found it proven that conditions in Texas prisons violated the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. The article prohibits “cruel and unusual punishments.” The judicial authority must now explain to the court every six months how the planning and installation of the systems is progressing. Financial burdens are expressly not a reason to delay air conditioning.
According to the Texas Tribune news portal, costs could reach $1.5 billion.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Texas Attorney General's Office will be required to submit semi-annual progress reports.
Very likely · Within months
The cost of air conditioning could be about $1.5 billion, according to the Texas Tribune.
Possible · Within years
Open Questions
- What is the exact cost of retrofitting all prisons?
- What sanctions are there if the schedule is not adhered to?
- How are private and federally owned prisons included?
