📅 Date: September 23, 2026
📰 Source: CNN
📍 Location: Texas, USA
🏷️ Topic: Texas prisons / Extreme heat / Federal court ruling
A federal judge has ordered Texas to install air conditioning in all of the state’s prisons by the end of 2029, ruling that extreme heat inside facilities without adequate cooling violates incarcerated people’s constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
US District Judge Robert Pitman issued the 150-page ruling after a yearslong legal battle over dangerous temperatures inside Texas prisons. He ordered the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to immediately develop and implement a plan to install air conditioning throughout the prison system, with completion required by December 31, 2029.
The ruling comes as Texas prisons continue to face extreme summer temperatures, with outdoor heat routinely exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). Just over one-third of TDCJ’s 104 facilities were fully air conditioned as of September 1, according to the Texas Tribune. Roughly 90,000 incarcerated people live in units without air conditioning, according to KUT.
Judge Pitman cited testimony from formerly incarcerated people who described inmates becoming sick, passing out and struggling to cope with the heat. Some witnesses said people would splash toilet water on themselves in an effort to cool down. The judge concluded that the state’s existing heat-mitigation measures were insufficient to prevent continuing heat-related injuries and deaths.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has estimated that installing air conditioning throughout the system could cost approximately $1.5 billion. The agency said it already has heat-mitigation measures in place and has been expanding the number of air-conditioned beds. TDCJ also said it plans to appeal the judge’s decision.
The case follows years of litigation over heat-related conditions in Texas prisons. The judge had previously ruled that extreme heat in the state’s prisons was unconstitutional, but did not initially order a systemwide air-conditioning installation. The latest ruling now establishes a specific deadline for the state to complete the work.
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📸 Photo note: The images above are representative Texas prison/heat-related images. Verify individual photo licensing and credit before publication.
