3 days Ago
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas prisons could be fully air conditioned within the next decade if a newly proposed bill becomes law. House Bill 3006 , which passed the House Corrections Committee, now moves to a vote before the full House. The measure would require air conditioning systems in prison hospitals, housing areas, kitchens and other essential spaces.
Temperatures in those areas would be maintained between 65 and 85 degrees, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). Currently , 53 prison units are only partially air conditioned; 35 are fully air conditioned. The push comes amid renewed concerns over inmate deaths during extreme heat.
Although TDCJ has not reported any inmate deaths from heat since 2012, several advocacy groups say dozens of inmates die each year. Some reports estimate that more than 40 inmates died from extreme heat in 2024 alone. “We have a serious problem in Texas.
We’re cooking prisoners. Cooking them," said State Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg.
"Heat indexes rise as high as 140 degrees. This isn’t about being tough on crime. Some of those people are in there for minor offenses, non-violent offenses.
They’re dying." During the current legislative session, TDCJ officials are requesting $118 million in funding for additional air conditioning. If approved, the funding would increase the number of air-conditioned beds across TDCJ facilities to more than 78,000.
Last month, a federal judge ruled that the extreme heat and lack of air conditioning during the summer months at TDCJ prisons was unconstitutional and amounted to cruel and unusual punishment..
