Lioness Justice Impacted Women’s Alliance and Statewide Leadership Council

Joint Statement on the Extreme Heat Crisis in Texas Prisons

Our society’s humanity is measured by how we treat the most vulnerable members of our
community which includes incarcerated people. We demand that Texas immediately address
the humanitarian disaster within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) regarding
dangerous temperatures.

THE CRISIS

● The majority of facilities within the TDCJ lack temperature control or provisions for heat
relief for incarcerated people and staff. KXAN stated that “Of the 100 units TDCJ
operates, 14 have no air conditioning. Fifty-five units have “partial” AC, meaning they
have “respite areas” such as cooled chapels, but do not provide AC in the cell blocks.”
However, the TDCJ livestock such as pigs are housed in climate controlled facilities.
● The New York Times reported that TDCJ confirmed 32 deaths in June, but has not
reported a heat-related death since 2012. Witness accounts link these recent deaths to
having symptoms as heat-related.
● TDCJ facilities, including living areas, have little to no ventilation or open windows.
Incarcerated people are often housed without consistent free movement of air or ice
water, despite agency heat directives that require this access.
● Incarcerated people are required to stand for long periods of time waiting for food,
medication or other basic services in areas of direct sunlight.
● Existing staffing shortages are exacerbated by the heat because prison staff do not want
to work in these dangerous conditions.
● Research links exposure to extreme heat to higher risk of violence and death.

THE SOLUTION

● Install cooling systems immediately that ensure temperatures in each facility operated by
the TDCJ are maintained at not less than 65 degrees Fahrenheit and no more than 85
degrees Fahrenheit
● Release people who are eligible for parole or the medically recommended intensive
supervision program. Expedite the release of those who are already approved but
 pending in-prison programming completion and mandate such required programming be
completed upon release in the community instead.
● Close facilities that would pose the greatest problem in retrofitting for cooling systems.
● Increase availability of ice, ice water and ventilation.
● Create shaded areas for locations where incarcerated people are waiting to access food,
medication and other basic services or move these locations completely inside.
● Create an independent ombudsman to provide better oversight and transparency within
the TDCJ, as accountability is crucial to prevent further abuse and protect the
fundamental rights of those in custody.

WHY THIS MATTERS

● It is morally the right thing to do. People will continue to die until temperature control is
mandated and maintained in Texas prisons.
● It is a violation of the 8th Amendment, which protects all Americans from cruel and
unusual punishment.
● County jails, animal shelters, and the prison pig farms are held to a higher standard.
Texas prisons should be held to the same standards.
● Texas has a duty of care to all Texans.
● This issue has cost taxpayers millions of dollars in wrongful death and civil rights
lawsuits. Litigation is certain and ongoing.

It is essential to recognize that 97% percent of incarcerated men and women will eventually
come home to their communities. Willfully disregarding their humanity impacts the mental
health, rehabilitation prospects, and the overall well-being of incarcerated human beings. So ask
yourself…how then do you want them to return to your community? Feeling valued as a human
being or less than a pig?

Contact:
Jennifer Toon, Project Director
Lioness Justice Impacted Women’s Alliance
lionessjiwa@gmail.com

Maggie Luna, Community Outreach Coordinator

Statewide Leadership Council
mluna@texascje.org