As a summer heat wave continues to bake most of Texas, family members of inmates are calling for all of the state’s prisons to be fully air conditioned
Advocates for cooling Texas prisons pray during a news conference at the Texas Capitol, Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Austin, Texas. The group is calling for an emergency special session to address the deadly heat effecting inmates. AUSTIN, Texas — — A heat wave that has consistently pushed temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit across much of Texas this summer had family members of inmates on Tuesday calling for lawmakers to ensure that all of the state’s prisons are fully air conditioned.
However, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, or TDCJ, says there have been no heat-related deaths in the state’s prisons since 2012. Officials are still investigating what caused Jon Southards’ death, said Amanda Hernandez, a TDCJ spokesperson. At least eight other inmate deaths in recent weeks that advocates allege are heat-related were either due to cardiac arrest or other medical conditions or the cause is still under investigation, Hernandez said.
During this year’s regular legislative session, which ended in May, the Texas House had proposed more than $343 million for the next two years to install air conditioning in state prisons and pay for operating expenses and maintenance. But the Senate declined to provide any funding.
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