Texas Department of Criminal Justice Sued Over Inhumane Prisoner Treatment

Three groups filed a class action lawsuit Wednesday against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and its executive director, Brad Livingston, alleging Texas prisons' lack of air conditioning is dangerous.

The lawsuit, filed in Houston federal court, alleges TDCJ is housing inmates in inhumane conditions that violate constitutional rights. Wallace Pack Unit in Navasota, Texas, lacks air-conditioning, and summer temperatures can send living conditions sweltering into the triple digits.

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“Even inside their dorms it might be 100 degrees or 102 degrees, so they never get any respite from the extreme heat,” Natarajan says. “This case is not about discomfort. It’s about the pain and suffering that causes, and the detriment to these clients and these prisoners’ health.”

Wallace Pack Unit is one of TDCJ’s medical and geriatric facilities, and houses a large number of inmates over the age of 65. Natarajan says the increased age of the center’s population increases the importance of maintaining an acceptable temperature inside the building. The goal of the lawsuit is for the court to require that the inside heat index of the unit be no higher than 88 degrees.

More at http://kut.org/post/texas-department-criminal-justice-sued-over-inhumane-prisoner-treatment .