Originally published at: Texas inmates deprived of water and AC are fainting in jails that reach over 100 degrees | Boing Boing
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Human Rights abuse.
What can we do? Maybe write to the Governor of Texas and give to Amnesty International.
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Two words: Negligent Homicide.
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This is so wrong. Consider giving to
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NOW I have questions about their animal shelters, too!
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Texas prisons have never been air conditioned. At least not the spaces where the incarcerated spend much of their time. They built a new prison near my hometown in Texas in 1995, and they opened it up for people to get tours before they actually placed any prisoners there and I got a tour, and I was horrified to learn that it wasn’t air conditioned. And that is done in Texas knowingly and very intentionally. Being deprived of your freedom is apparently not punishment enough. They want people to suffer in other ways as well. And if a handful die of heat stroke…the attitude is that it’s their own fault for being in prison in the first place. It’s unconscionable.
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State law requires that animal shelters are kept no warmer than 85F. I’m usually ok with treating animals better than humans, but we should require the same of prisons and jails.
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Does Texas’s treatment of prisoners constitute “cruel and unusual punishments” for purposes of the Eighth Amendment? Sure sounds like it to me, especially given the summary of a study from Harvard School of Public Health.
During the study period, from 2001 to 2019, there were 2,083 deaths in Texas prisons without air conditioning and 1,381 in prisons with air conditioning. The researchers found that, in prisons without air conditioning, a 1-degree increase above 85°F was linked with a 0.7% increase in the risk of death. In addition, an extreme heat day was associated with a 15.1% increased risk.
If that linear relationship holds, temperatures of 118 degrees increases the risk of death by just over 23%.
Who’s going to be the first prisoner to file an emergency motion to get some relief? Even if it were to come to nothing, it would get them out of the oven that is their prison and into the (air conditioned) courtroom for a little while.
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… which of course it won’t
“temps above 37°C” + “no water” = very very bad
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Leave it to Abbot to turn climate related issues into a killing spree.
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Three words: Depraved Mind Murder.
This is an intentional act to kill people in a random fashion
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Abuse like this is what leads to riots.
I bet they treat literal dogs better than people in prison. 
(Note, I don’t want dogs to suffer, but to have prisoners treated well.)
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The Texas state house voted to include money for a/c in jails in this year’s budget. It didn’t make it thru the senate. Probably because Dan Patrick, leader of the senate, killed it. We had a huge budget surplus and we didn’t spend it all. This would have been money well spent.
Yes, it is absolutely cruel and unusual punishment. We need to get rid of the GOP here.
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Oliver brings up a particular case of someone jailed for writing a bad check. This turns out to be a capital offense, in Texas.
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Agh… this could be such a better State to live in. Probably even if just the disenfranchised voters (or those who choose not to vote.) would do so in Texas.
This and Abbot’s recent elimination of water/shade breaks for outdoor workers make no sense to me. The justification being 1,000% BS- The law was pushed by Republican lawmakers who said it eliminated burdensome regulations for businesses. The law also aimed to prevent cities and counties from enacting progressive policies that counter the state Republican supermajority’s aims.
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When I used to work in a police station in the UK, the Health and Safety sign in the cells said it was for “Cells and Kennels”. 
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That’s horrible.
Does BB’s editorial guide recommend a [sic] for quotes like these?
“It’s so humid you can’t breath,” she said.
I dunno… the state senator in the John Oliver piece above who’s saying they don’t want to air condition prisons because prisoners shouldn’t have done crimes… was the Democrat. 
In some places, it seems the cruelty is the point no matter who is elected.
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