Without AC, Texan Prisons Sentence People to Unsafe Heat

image via New Scientist

August 20, 2024, 5:00 PM

In Texas, the state's prison system is the largest in the nation, and it faces a legal challenge that says the heat conditions constitute cruel and unusual punishment. A federal judge in Austin is deciding whether to grant relief to the state's 123,000 inmates after a four-day hearing that ended Aug. 2. The plaintiffs, including Simmons and a coalition of groups that advocate for prisoners' rights, are asking U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman for an order that could require the state to air condition most of its lockups — a move they say will save lives.

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