Study suggests non air-conditioned Texas prisons violate rights

MARK WIGGINS kvue.com AUSTIN -- A three dozen page report suggests Texas' extreme summer heat is making non air-conditioned prisons literal ovens. "Every year, like clockwork, the incredible heat in Texas prisons is killing people," said Brian McGiverin, an attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project who has represented inmates in heat-related lawsuits against the state. According to the report, 14 inmates have died from heat-related illness since 2007. Headed by University of Texas School of Law Human Rights Clinic director Ariel Dulitzky, the report argues dangerous temperatures violate the U.S. Constitution's prohibition against "cruel and unusual punishment" as well as inmates' human rights. In addition to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), Dulitzky plans to submit the report and its findings to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture... With the exception of hospitals, psychiatric facilities, armories and the offices of wardens, Texas prisons are generally non air-conditioned. Inmates are allowed to purchase fans for $22.50 in order to circulate the air in their cells. The report argues the price is prohibitively expensive, and cites the suggestion by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that fans are ineffective in preventing heat stroke at temperatures rise above 90 degrees at 35 percent humidity. to read more: kvue.com