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| Texas plans to move 1,000 inmates to air-conditioned prison units |
| By khou.com- Jolie McCullough |
| Published: 08/04/2017 |
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About 1,000 hot Texas prisoners might soon be moving to cooler accommodations. As part of a court order, Texas submitted a plan Thursday to move about 1,000 medically sensitive inmates from the Pack Unit southeast of College Station, which is not air conditioned, to other state jails and prisons that do have air conditioning. The plan came after a federal judge ordered air conditioning for the inmates in a scathing ruling against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in July. Almost 75 percent of Texas prisons and state jails have no air conditioning in the inmates’ living areas, and at some prisons, like the Pack Unit, temperatures regularly get above 100 degrees, according to the ruling. An ongoing class-action lawsuit filed by prisoners at the Pack Unit points to at least 23 heat-related deaths in Texas prisons since 1998 and claims temperatures at the prison constitute cruel and unusual punishment. The inmates argue housing should be kept at a maximum of 88 degrees. Last month after an emergency injunction hearing, U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison agreed the temperatures were unconstitutional and ordered air conditioning for inmates who are more prone to heat-related illnesses, such as those with heart problems or taking anti-psychotics that impair the body’s natural cooling system. The ruling is only valid through October as the underlying lawsuit remains in appellate court. Read More. |
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