Texas Finds $298 Million Of Progress Inside A $1.5 Billion Prison Heat Problem

AUSTIN—The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has asked lawmakers for $298 million to install air conditioning for more than 15,700 prison beds, providing significant and measurable progress toward a statewide solution estimated to cost $1.5 billion.

Indoor temperatures in some lockups routinely exceed 100 degrees during summer. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman described the conditions as plainly unconstitutional before hearing a two-week trial this year. He is now considering whether to order broader cooling while the Legislature considers how much constitutionality fits into the next two-year budget.

The agency’s request is more than double the $118 million it sought and received during the previous budget cycle. TDCJ also requested $591.8 million for new climate-controlled dormitories. Together, officials say, the proposals would add more than 21,000 cooled beds as the incarcerated population is projected to exceed 150,000.

Prisoner advocates estimate that cooling the full system would require about $1.5 billion. They also allege that at least 10 prisoners died from heat-related causes between 2023 and 2025. TDCJ disputes that attribution, pointing to overdoses and other medical conditions. The temperature is measured in degrees; responsibility remains available in several units.

Texas has not refused to act. It has requested an installment large enough to demonstrate movement and small enough to leave most beds for later. A federal court will decide whether measurable progress cools a concrete cell.