Incarcerated people swelter in scorching Texas prisons

On a sweltering day, many people cool off by turning on the AC or sitting in the shade with an icy drink. But incarcerated people rarely have these options.

Dixon: “They don’t get to just make a decision to go grab a cold water out of a fridge. They do not have the freedom and the access to many of the resources that should or could be readily available.”

Benika Dixon, an assistant professor at Texas A&M University, says during a heat wave, temperatures in Texas prisons sometimes exceed 100 degrees.

Dixon: “We’re looking at buildings that are obviously built from brick or very heavy materials, very few windows.”

And more than half of people incarcerated in Texas state prisons sleep in areas without air conditioning.

The consequences can be dire. Exposure to extreme heat can worsen a range of health problems, including asthma, heart disease, and diabetes. And it can cause heat stroke.

So advocates have pushed for legislation that would require Texas prisons to keep temperatures below 85 degrees, but have so far been unsuccessful.

As heat waves grow more extreme, Dixon says policies are needed to protect incarcerated people, who have few options for protecting themselves.

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media