Latest news with #TDCJ
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A Bill Requiring State Prisons to Have Air Conditioning Has Passed
Marlin, TX (FOX 44) – The Texas House has passed a bill that would require state prisons to have air conditioning. The bill would require the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to install air conditioning at each of its facilities by the end of 2032. The TDCJ will install climate control units in three phases, each covering around one-third of the facilities they control. Experts suggest that the lack of air conditioning in correctional facilities poses significant health and safety risks for inmates and staff because of the state's extreme heat conditions. In an exclusive interview only on Fox44 News, I spoke with an ex-inmate who served her time in Marlin's Hobby Unit. She says the summer months were deadly with no air conditioning. 'I'm upstairs, the top floor, and we're in a metal building, it's like extremely hot. It gets up to 150 degrees. They have little fans downstairs but not for upstairs. I mean we are criminals, but we are human. They treat us like dogs….and people are dying, they're killing us,'said former inmate Vanessa Parker. Each phase is expected to cost around $100 million with the first required to be completed by December 31, 2028. The second phase would be completed by 2030, with the remaining facilities being complete by dec. 31, 2032. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill requiring air conditioning in all Texas prisons wins preliminary House approval
The Texas House gave preliminary approval Thursday to a bill requiring prisons to have air conditioning by the end of 2032. Lawmakers passed 89-43 House Bill 3006 by Terry Canales, D-Edinburg. If the Legislature or the federal government allocates funding, it will require the installation of climate control in phases to be completed by the end of 2032. The bill must go through one more round of approval in the House before it can clear its last hurdle in the Senate. 'The bill targets key housing units and medical spaces, kitchens, and administrative offices in state prison facilities to ensure the most critical spaces are temperature-controlled,' said Rep. Eddie Morales Jr., D-Eagle Pass, a co-sponsor of the bill, told lawmakers. The bill mandates that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice purchase and install climate control systems to ensure temperatures are maintained between 65 and 85 degrees in certain areas. The installation will occur in three phases, capped at $100 million per phase, and completion is set for 2028, 2030 and 2032. This session, four prison heat-related bills filed by House members have been referred to the House Corrections Committee: HB 1315, HB 2997, HB 3006, and HB 489. However, Canales' bill was the only one to make it out of committee. Officials from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which oversees the state's 101 prison facilities, asked lawmakers for $118 million over the next biennium to install air conditioning in about 11,000 units. Even if lawmakers grant that request, millions more will be needed to get to the at least $1.1 billion the TDCJ says will be needed to fully air condition its prisons. Since the House Corrections Committee wrote in its 2018 interim report to the Legislature that TDCJ's heat mitigation efforts were not enough to ensure the well-being of inmates and the correctional officers who work in prisons, lawmakers have tried to pass bills that would require the agency to install air conditioning. None of those bills made it to the governor's desk. During that time, TDCJ has been slowly installing air conditioning. The department also has added 11,788 'cool beds' and is in the process of procuring about 12,000 more. The addition is thanks to $85.5 million state lawmakers appropriated during the last legislative session. Although not earmarked for air conditioning, an agency spokesperson said all of that money is being used to cool more prisons. Still, about two-thirds of Texas' prison inmates reside in facilities that are not fully air conditioned in housing areas. Indoor temperatures routinely top 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and inmates report oppressive, suffocating conditions in which they douse themselves with toilet water in an attempt to cool off. Hundreds of inmates have been diagnosed with heat-related illnesses, court records state, and at least two dozen others have died from heat-related causes. The pace at which the state is installing air conditioning is insufficient, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman wrote in a 91-page decision in late March. The lack of system-wide air conditioning violates the U.S. Constitution, and the prison agency's plan to slowly chip away at cooling its facilities — over an estimated timeline of at least 25 years — is too slow, he wrote. Sen. Joan Huffman, a Houston Republican who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said in an emailed statement that the supplemental appropriations bill will include the $118 million TDCJ requested to fund approximately 11,000 new air-conditioned beds. It also will include $301 million to construct additional dorms — which the prison agency requested to accommodate its growing prison population — and those new facilities will all be air-conditioned. An internal investigation also found that TDCJ has falsified temperatures, and an investigator hired by the prison agency concluded that some of the agency's temperature logs are false. Citing that report, Pitman wrote 'The Court has no confidence in the data TDCJ generates and uses to implement its heat mitigation measures and record the conditions within the facilities.' First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Securus Technologies and Workbay Partner with Texas Department of Criminal Justice to Expand Workforce Development for Incarcerated Individuals
Since Launch, Over 100,000 Individuals Engaged in Workforce Training Through Securus Tablets, with 6,800+ Transitioning to Post-Release Employment Support PLANO, Texas, April 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Securus Technologies, a trusted innovator in correctional facility technology solutions, and Workbay, a leading career development platform, are joining forces to support the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) in its forward-thinking approach to rehabilitation and reentry. Through this collaboration, TDCJ is expanding access to career training, digital learning tools, and direct pathways to employment—empowering incarcerated individuals with the tools for long-term success and strengthening the workforce across Texas communities. The partnership has delivered quick results. In just the first month, the program has been implemented across 102 correctional units. Already, over 100,000 incarcerated individuals are actively participating in workforce training, and more than 8,400 individuals have secured access to post-release employment support. This initiative plays a key role in supporting Governor Greg Abbott's goals of reducing recidivism and strengthening Texas communities by ensuring returning citizens possess the skills to succeed. "Securus is committed to turning rehabilitation into lasting change, ensuring incarcerated individuals have the necessary tools to succeed beyond confinement," said Kevin Elder, President of Securus Technologies. "Through our partnership with Workbay, we are breaking barriers to employment, equipping individuals with the skills, resources and connections they need to rebuild their lives and contribute to their communities after release." Workbay's Workforce Development Tools Include: Career Pathway Exploration: Over 2,500 career videos and 1,400 career cards to introduce individuals to in-demand industries. Employer Engagement and Job Matching: Direct connections to Second Chance employers across Texas. Reentry and Soft Skills Training: Modules on job readiness, financial literacy, and professional communication. "Our mission at Workbay is to empower justice-impacted individuals by removing obstacles and creating real employment opportunities," said Mary Hayes, CEO at Workbay. "We are proud to partner with Securus and TDCJ to deliver this groundbreaking, comprehensive workforce solution uniquely designed to bridge skill gaps and drive meaningful change in reentry outcomes." Early data indicates the program is delivering substantial gains in motivation, goal setting, and workforce readiness among incarcerated individuals. This increased preparedness aligns with the growing employer demand for Second Chance hiring, given the growing gap in open roles and available talent. During Second Chance Month, Securus Technologies and Workbay are reinforcing their commitment to rehabilitation and reintegration through expanded workforce training and employment opportunities. This investment is generating significant value by fostering safer communities, reducing recidivism, and building a stronger workforce. For more information about Workbay's programs, visit To learn more about Securus Technologies' commitment to second chances, visit Securus TechnologiesHeadquartered in Plano, Texas, Securus Technologies® (Securus) is an Aventiv Technologies company that serves more than 1,800 public safety, law enforcement, and corrections agencies as well as over 1,000,000 incarcerated individuals across North America. Founded in 1986, Securus offers innovative solutions like phone and video connections and e-messaging, which connect family and friends to their incarcerated loved ones. Their secure monitoring and investigative solutions aid law enforcement and correctional facility staff in their operations and efforts to maintain public safety in communities nationwide. As the pioneers of tablet technology, Securus introduced the first corrections-grade tablet in 2011, revolutionizing how communication, entertainment, reentry, and educational resources are deployed in complex corrections environments, elevating efficiency in operations and stronger reentry outcomes. For more information, please visit or follow us on social media on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook. WorkbayWorkbay delivers a unique digital workforce development platform designed specifically to support incarcerated individuals as they prepare for successful reentry into the workforce. Available on secure tablets within correctional facilities, Workbay provides interactive, video-based training courses, career pathway exploration aligned with local employer demand, multimedia resume-building, and direct employer connections. Post-release, individuals continue to access personalized employment support through facilitating sustained employment and reducing factors of recidivism. By bridging the gap between incarceration and employment, Workbay empowers justice-involved individuals, strengthens local economies, and enhances community safety. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Aventiv Technologies Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas bills requiring air-conditioned prisons languish despite temperatures being ruled unconstitutional
A week after a federal judge declared hot conditions in Texas prisons unconstitutional, a legislative push to require air conditioning in every state prison has not gained significant traction. None of the five bills lawmakers have filed to require prison cooling have been scheduled for a committee hearing yet, and the issue has hardly been mentioned during public hearings about how the state should allocate its estimated $194.6 billion two-year budget. Officials from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which oversees the state's 101 prison facilities, asked lawmakers for $118 million over the next biennium to install air conditioning in about 11,000 units. Even if lawmakers grant that request, millions more will be needed to get to the at least $1.1 billion the TDCJ says they would need to fully air condition their prisons. 'I don't know how state leaders look at themselves in the mirror with this situation persisting,' said Rep. John Bryant, D-Dallas, who authored a bill that would require full prison air conditioning. 'I'm hopeful this will be treated more seriously this session. It's a moral and now a legal responsibility.' Since a 2018 House Corrections Committee wrote in their interim report to the Legislature that TDCJ's heat mitigation efforts were not enough to ensure the well-being of inmates and the correctional officers who work in prisons, lawmakers have tried to pass bills that would require the agency to install air conditioning. None of those bills made it to the governor's desk. During that time, TDCJ has also been slowly installing air conditioning. They have added 11,788 'cool beds,' and they are in the process of procuring about 12,000 more. The addition is thanks to $85.5 million state lawmakers appropriated during the last legislative session. Although not earmarked for air conditioning, an agency spokesperson said all of that money is being used to cool more prisons. Still, about two thirds of Texas' prison inmates reside in facilities that are not fully air conditioned in housing areas. Indoor temperatures routinely top 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and inmates report oppressive, suffocating conditions in which they douse themselves with toilet water in an attempt to cool off. Hundreds of inmates have been diagnosed with heat-related illnesses, court records state, and at least two dozen others have died from heat-related causes. The pace at which the state is installing air conditioning is insufficient, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman wrote in a 91-page decision last week. The lack of system-wide air conditioning violates the U.S. Constitution, and the prison agency's plan to slowly chip away at cooling its facilities — over an estimated timeline of at least 25 years — is too slow, he wrote. Sen. Joan Huffman, a Houston Republican who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said in an emailed statement that the supplemental appropriations bill will include the $118 million TDCJ requested to fund approximately 11,000 new air-conditioned beds. It also will include $301 million to construct additional dorms — which the prison agency requested to accommodate its growing prison population — and those new facilities will all be air-conditioned. That may not be enough to satisfy Pitman's ruling or some state lawmakers. Bryant said he wants to see $500 million allocated to the effort this session. 'The state must fully fund the system now, in this legislative session,' said Erica Grossman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs who sued Bryan Collier, the prison agency's executive director. Pitman declined to require temporary air conditioning, noting that this would only undermine the speed at which TDCJ can install permanent air conditioning. Instead, the case will likely move to a trial. The plaintiffs are expected to win and be entitled to 'expeditious installation of permanent air conditioning,' Pitman wrote. In the meantime, Grossman and the plaintiffs she is representing are urging lawmakers to allocate more funding to prison air conditioning. In 2021, a bill that set a seven-year time limit on air conditioning installation cleared the House on a 123-18 vote. The bill died in the Senate Finance Committee, where it never received a hearing. Two years later, lawmakers tried again to no avail. 'This comes down to political will,' said Amite Dominick, who has worked on prison air conditioning legislation for multiple sessions and founded Texas Prison Community Advocates, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. 'They would rather continue an image of tough-on-crime than be humane.' This session, four prison heat-related bills filed by House members have been referred to the House Corrections Committee: House Bill 1315, House Bill 2997, House Bill 3006 and House Bill 489. None have been scheduled for a hearing. HB 1315, by Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, and HB 489 by Rep. Jon Rosenthal, D-Houston, are identical and would require each cellblock, dormitory and common area in Texas prisons to be equipped with an air conditioning unit. Temperatures would have to be maintained between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, a rule that already applies to Texas' county jails. HB 3006, by Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, would require the installation of climate control in phases to be completed by the end of 2032 — if the Legislature allocates funding. HB 2997, authored by Bryant, goes further. It also would require the installation of temperature gauges in each area of the prison. Each year, the agency would submit a report to elected state leaders about the number of incidents in which the required temperature wasn't maintained. 'We added that so we can monitor whether or not TDCJ is complying with the requirements,' Bryant said, explaining that lawmakers previously have been given reports that offer an average of the temperatures across the entire facility, occluding the heat inside some cell blocks. An internal investigation also found that TDCJ has falsified temperatures, and an investigator hired by the prison agency concluded that some of the agency's temperature logs are false. Citing that report, Pitman wrote 'The Court has no confidence in the data TDCJ generates and uses to implement its heat mitigation measures and record the conditions within the facilities.' In the upper chamber, Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, along with six other Democratic state senators, filed Senate Bill 169, which would require that prison temperatures be maintained between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee but has not been scheduled for a hearing. Huffman did not answer questions about whether she has plans to schedule a hearing. Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Get tickets before May 1 and save big! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Washington Post
31-03-2025
- Washington Post
Extreme heat in Texas prisons without AC is unconstitutional, judge says
Texas inmate Bernhardt Tiede was being held in a cell without air conditioning when he suffered a stroke in the summer of 2023. Temperatures there regularly exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit, according to court documents. After his stroke, the 65-year-old was transferred to an air-conditioned cell for eight days before returning to his old cell, the documents say. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in the Western District of Texas ruled that housing inmates without air conditioning in Texas heat is 'plainly unconstitutional' — siding with Tiede and four prisoners' rights advocates who had sued Bryan Collier, executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. 'Despite a significant risk of harm faced by inmates in unairconditioned TDCJ prisons, Collier has implemented mitigation measures he knows are inadequate — and which the Court finds are scientifically inadequate — to reduce the substantial risks of serious harm posed by extreme heat,' Pitman wrote in his order. But Pitman stopped short of ordering the TDCJ to immediately install air conditioners, saying the plaintiffs will need to continue their trial. TDCJ spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez welcomed the ruling, saying in a statement Thursday that the agency is 'committed to the safety of the inmate population and our staff.' Heat is the leading cause of weather-driven death in the United States. Across Texas, which houses the country's largest population of prisoners, temperatures can soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, creating significant health risks. About 85,000 Texas inmates live in units that lack air conditioning in most living spaces, and at least 41 prisoners died in uncooled prisons during a 2023 Texas heat wave, according to the Texas Tribune. Tiede initially filed a lawsuit against Collier, the TDCJ, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his office in August 2023, seeking to be moved to an air-conditioned cell. After a magistrate judge granted the request, four prison rights groups — the Texas Prisons Community Advocates, Build Up Inc., Texas Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants and the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities — joined the lawsuit on behalf of all TDCJ inmates. On Aug. 6, 2023, Texas inmate John Castillo was found unresponsive in his sweltering, 94-degree prison cell at the Alfred D. Hughes Unit in Gatesville, according to court documents. Castillo had visited a nearby water cooler 23 times before collapsing in his cell, which lacked air conditioning. Castillo was rushed to the prison's medical unit, where a nurse said he was 'hot to the touch,' according to the documents. He was pronounced dead at 11:33 p.m. with a core body temperature of 107.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Patrick Womack, 50, whose cell at the H.H. Coffield Unitin Tennessee Colony also didn't have air conditioning, was pronounced dead on Aug. 21, 2023, hours after he was denied a cooldown shower, according to court documents. Officers found Womack unresponsive, lying facedown on his stomach, with a core body temperature of 106.9 degrees Fahrenheit. In the weeks before he died on July 5, Texas inmate Jason Wilson sent several emails to Brittany Robertson, director of Texas Prisons Community Advocates, expressing concern that the temperatures in his unit were extremely high and that there were not enough prison staff to pass out water, the court documents say. Extreme heat poses several health risks, including heat exhaustion, heat rash, dehydration, heat cramps and heat stroke. Climate change increases the frequency and likelihood of extreme temperatures and heat waves, exacerbating the risks. 'If you don't have air conditioning, you're very limited in ways in which it's possible to adapt and maintain a healthy inmate population in the face of rising temperatures,' said John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas state climatologist and a professor at Texas A&M University. In his ruling Thursday, Pitman declined to order Texas to immediately start installing air conditioners, saying it could cost billions of dollars and take years to complete. 'Ordering temporary air conditioning now would have the effect of diverting significant limited resources for a process that would neither be adaptable to a permanent solution nor likely even be complete before the Court's preliminary (i.e. temporary) injunction would expire,' Pitman wrote. In TDCJ's statement to The Washington Post, Hernandez said the agency has installed air conditioning units, identified inmates who are heat-sensitive and implemented heat mitigation measures, such as providing respite areas, cooling towels and ice cups. But Amite Dominick, founder of Texas Prisons Community Advocates, called the measures insufficient. Seventy percent of Texas prisons in Texas still don't have air conditioning and more than 90,000 inmates will be without air conditioning this summer, she said. During periods of extreme heat, Dominick said inmates will typically stick their noses under the cracks of their cells or break windows to get air. 'You're encased in metal, concrete, brick, with limited ventilation,' Dominick said. 'The best thing I can liken this to is to experience a [high heat] of triple digits and lock yourself in your closet and turn off your air conditioning.' A November 2022 study found higher death rates among people in prisons without air conditioning, compared to those with air conditioning. A one-degree increase above 85 degrees Fahrenheit elevates the daily risk of dying by 0.7 percent, the study found. Between 2001 and 2019, the study says, there was an average of 14 heat-related deaths per year in Texas prisons without air conditioning. 'Aging prison buildings and prisons that lack ventilation may hold on to heat and not be able to cool down even when the temperatures outside drop,' Julie Skarha, one of the study's authors, said in an email. Pitman also noted in his ruling that Texas lawmakers have introduced bills that would set temperature standards and require air conditioning units to be installed in all TDCJ facilities. The state legislature is in session until June 2. According to court documents, Collier has said that he 'absolutely' wants to install air conditioning in all TDCJ facilities but that the state legislature hasn't appropriated the necessary funds. Dominick, the Texas Prisons Community Advocates founder, said she's concerned that the rate at which TDCJ prisons are filling is outpacing the rate at which the state agency is installing air conditioning units. 'It's just moving too slow,' she said. 'And it's moving too slow because of the political will.'
