HOUSTON (AP) — Amid a summer heat wave that has pushed temperatures in some Texas prisons without air conditioning to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), many inmates fear dying or falling gravely ill from the hot weather and believe actions taken by officials to mitigate the dangerous conditions continue to fall short, according to a new report.
The report comes as the head of the Texas prison system told lawmakers this week the oppressive working conditions caused by the lack of air conditioning in many of the state’s units is likely contributing to difficulties officials are having in filling 7,000 prison job vacancies.
“Without air-conditioning or regulated temperatures, the system will continue to be under extreme stress and members of the (Texas Department of Criminal Justice) population will remain on the brink of potential health emergencies. This could kill them, but if it doesn’t, it will certainly degrade their health over time,” according to a report released this week by the Texas A&M University Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center and Texas Prisons Community Advocates, an advocacy group for inmates.
