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Texas ordered to air condition all prisons by the end of 2029
The Texas Tribune • • nation
Key Points:
- A federal judge has ordered the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to install air conditioning in all state prison facilities by December 31, 2029, citing Eighth Amendment violations due to extreme heat conditions.
- The ruling follows findings that current heat mitigation efforts are insufficient and that extreme heat has caused inmate injuries and deaths, with credible evidence of at least nine heat-related deaths between 2023 and 2025.
- The estimated cost of installing air conditioning across all facilities could reach $1.5 billion, creating funding challenges as TDCJ's current legislative budget requests fall significantly short of the amounts outlined in its two-phase installation plan.
- Advocates and plaintiffs view the ruling as a major victory for inmate rights, emphasizing the need for legislative funding and oversight to ensure the court-mandated timeline is met.
- Despite previous legislative failures to mandate climate control in prisons, the judge emphasized that financial concerns do not justify noncompliance, and TDCJ must submit biannual progress reports to the court starting in March 2027.
