Judge Orders Texas to Have Air Conditioning at All Prisons by End of 2029
Judge Robert Pitman said Texas prison officials showed deliberate indifference as the state reported 53,676 cool beds and sought more funding for climate control.
- On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ordered the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to install air conditioning in all state prisons by December 31, 2029, ruling that current conditions violate the Eighth Amendment.
- Initiated in 2023 by inmate Bernie Tiede, the lawsuit argues that extreme heat constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, a claim Pitman found "plainly unconstitutional" in a 2025 ruling.
- Evidence presented at trial showed summer heat routinely soars above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in facilities, where inmates described desperate conditions including splashing toilet water on themselves, which Pitman wrote was "common."
- Amite Dominick, president of Texas Prisons Community Advocates, said the ruling "made clear that the state cannot keep treating human lives as a budget line," while the prison agency said it is reviewing the decision.
- The order complicates budget planning for the 2028-29 biennium, as Texas previously requested $289 million for air conditioning, far less than the $1.5 billion estimated for full system-wide installation.
60 Articles
60 Articles
In Texas, almost 90,000 prisoners may have to endure extreme temperatures without air conditioning. A judge now puts an end to this: by 2029, the detention centres must be upgraded.
In summer Texas can be extremely hot. Prisoners spray water from the toilet to cool down. These are not decent detention conditions, a court decides.
In the U.S. state of Texas it can get 50 degrees hot. Then tens of thousands of prisoners suffer – without air conditioning. Now the people should be better protected by judge's decision. That will not be cheap.
Judge orders Texas to have air conditioning at all prisons by end of 2029 - WXXV News 25
By JAMIE STENGLE DALLAS (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Texas to install air conditioning in all of its prisons, saying that inmates in lockups without it are being given punishments that violate their constitutional rights. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman said in the 150-page order that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice must come up with a...
Berliner Morgenpost
A judge commits Texas to air conditioning its detention centres. At temperatures above 50 degrees, several inmates die each year in the summer.
Texas Prisons Ordered To Install Air-Conditioning by 2029 After Judge Rules Extreme Heat Unconstitutional
A federal judge has ordered Texas to install air-conditioning across its prison system by 2029, ruling that extreme heat and inadequate protections violate inmates' constitutional rights.
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