Heat Kills in Texas Prisons #StopTheHeat
Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas legislature
A Texas man was supposed to return home to his family after his 2 year sentence for passing a bad check. Instead he died of heatstroke after suffering convulsions in his cell. He didn’t have a fan, he couldn’t even open a window. The indoor heat index that week, recorded by prison officials, topped 150 degrees and his body temperature rose to 109 degrees. He was hospitalized after collapsing in a hot, stifling Texas prison cell and his family took him off life support 7 days later.
Prison shouldn’t be a death sentence. But TDCJ killed him and others by imprisoning them in a dangerous environment and ignoring the risks. Of Texas’ 109 prisons, 79 are not fully air conditioned and the indoor heat index often exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
These conditions are extremely dangerous and amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Tell Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas legislature that they must act now and ensure that the heat index in Texas prisons is below 88 degrees F.
This petition is sponsored by the Texas Inmate Families Association (TIFA).
Sources:
http://time.com/4405338/air-conditioning-human-right/
https://www.texastribune.org/2012/06/26/tdcj-files-wrongful-death-lawsuit/
http://www.tdcj.texas.gov/documents/Statistical_Report_FY2014.pdf
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ariel-dulitzky/summer-heat-kills-inmates_b_5516225.html
https://law.utexas.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2015/05/2014-HRC-USA-DeadlyHeat-Report.pdf
Sponsored by
To:
Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas legislature
From:
[Your Name]
Prison should not be a death sentence. At least 14 people have died from heat-related illnesses or complications in Texas prisons since 2007. Of Texas’ 109 TDCJ prisons, 79 do not have air conditioning.
In 2014 nearly 20% of the TDCJ population are over 50, and 58% of the population had medical risks that put them at great risk for heat-related complications such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or asthma. The failure of both the medical and grievance systems have made conditions worse.
These conditions are dangerous and amount to cruel and unusual punishment. We urge your support in requiring the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to maintain a heat index below 88 degrees F in Texas prison cells during the summer.