The Latest Breaking News from Bryan Collier

Texas prisons seek $298 million for air conditioning. That’s a fraction of what’s needed.

It would cost $1.5 billion to fully cool all prisons, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice estimates.

The Texas Tribune · Sep 9

Texas prison agency names senior official as its next chief

Bobby Lumpkin, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s COO, will take over the the top role on Sept. 1, following Bryan Collier’s retirement.

The Texas Tribune · Aug 19, 2025

Extreme heat without AC in Texas prisons is unconstitutionally cruel punishment, judge rules

A federal judge has found the extreme heat in Texas prisons that don’t have air conditioning is “plainly unconstitutional.”

The Independent UK · Mar 26, 2025

‘It’s torture’: brutal heat broils Texas prisons, killing dozens of inmates

Legal action aims to force criminal justice department to air condition prisons, where 85,000 are at risk of heat illnesses

The Guardian - US · Aug 9, 2024

New picture book amplifies the civil rights work of South Side-born activist Diane Nash

“Most people don’t know who she is,” says author Sandra Neil Wallace, who hopes to enlighten children about Nash’s efforts to organize sit-ins at lunch counters and help create the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Chicago Sun-Times · Jan 9, 2023

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

Texas heat has killed prisoners and cost the state millions in wrongful death and civil rights lawsuits. Prison rights advocates hope a budget surplus next year will finally push lawmakers to invest in air conditioning.

The Texas Tribune · Aug 24, 2022