“It’s a living hell”: Scorching heat in Texas prisons revives air-conditioning debate

Prisoner David Segovia speaks about the unbearable heat he experiences living on the third floor of the Ferguson Unit outside of Huntsville. (Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune)

David Segovia lay on the floor of his Texas prison cell and wondered if this was how he was going to die.

The state was experiencing its hottest July in recorded history, and he, like most Texas prisoners, was locked inside a concrete and steel building without air conditioning. It had been months since he last felt cool air on his skin. A heat rash snaked up his arms.