A federal judge ruled that the extreme heat conditions in Texas prisons violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, marking a significant legal step toward addressing the inhumane conditions faced by inmates. However, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman declined to immediately order air conditioning installations across the state’s prisons, citing the need for a more extensive design and construction process.
Texas, home to the largest prison population in the United States with over 130,000 inmates, currently has a mixed approach to cooling its facilities. Only about a third of Texas’ roughly 100 prison units are fully air-conditioned, leaving many prisoners vulnerable to dangerous heat conditions, particularly in the summer months, when temperatures regularly exceed 85°F. Plaintiffs, including inmate Bernhardt Tiede and several civil rights organizations, argue that this heat policy is unconstitutional, as it exposes prisoners to life-threatening and debilitating heat.
Despite acknowledging the severity of the situation, Pitman noted that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ)’s heat mitigation measures—such as fans, ice distribution, and cool showers—were insufficient and temporary. Additionally, over 90% of TDCJ prisoners, including 66-year-old Tiede, who suffers from several health conditions, do not benefit from a heat score system designed to track heat risks.
Though the court refrained from granting an immediate injunction to install air conditioning, it emphasized the need for permanent solutions. It pointed to recent legislative action, such as bills HB2997 and HB1315, which mandate temperatures between 65°F and 85°F, suggesting that future legal action may force the state to install air conditioning in all prisons.
This ruling follows a long history of legal challenges to the TDCJ over extreme heat conditions, including a 2018 lawsuit where a judge found that the state’s mitigation measures were ineffective. The court warned that, in the future, it expects to grant permanent relief to the plaintiffs in the form of expedited installation of air conditioning across all Texas prisons.
The TDCJ expressed respect for the court’s decision, but other states, including Louisiana, Georgia, and New Mexico, also face similar lawsuits related to extreme heat conditions in their prison systems.
This ruling underscores the ongoing struggle to address the harsh environmental conditions that contribute to unsafe and unhealthy prison environments, sparking greater scrutiny on how correctional facilities manage inmate welfare in extreme climates.
