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The Latest Breaking News from TDCJ

Texans are organizing inside and outside of prisons to empower incarcerated workers, who labor in dangerous conditions without pay.

Texas Observer

Staffing shortages makes it harder for Texas inmates to deal with extreme indoor heat conditions, critics say

Currently, about 24% of the 24,112 correctional officer positions in Texas prisons are vacant

Latin Times

Texas’ prison guard shortfall makes it harder for inmates to get reprieve from extreme indoor heat, critics say

About 25% of Texas’ correctional officer positions are unfilled. Inmates say the shortages make it harder for them to get respite during hot summer months.

The Texas Tribune

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‘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

When Summer Heat Hits My Texas Prison

High temperatures and scarce air conditioning cause tempers to flare for prisoners and guards alike.

Texas Observer

Waiting Out the Storm in Prison

Incarcerated Texans describe conditions in prison following Hurricane Beryl.

Texas Observer

Texas’ Plantation Prisons: Inside a 200-Year History of Forced Labor Shrouded in Secrecy

Punishments, injuries, and deaths—including from heat—on TDCJ farms are more hidden than they were in the years following convict leasing.

Texas Observer

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Taking Prison to Court: Fighting for the Right to Sleep

Michael Garrett sued the Texas Department of Criminal Justice more than a decade ago, and he’s working from inside to keep the case alive.

Texas Observer

When Texas jails issue tablets, it comes at cost for inmates and families

A handful of Texas jails have issued electronic tablets to inmates. Counties can make money off their use.

The Texas Tribune

Feds accuse Texas prison agency of discriminating against employee for wearing a headscarf

A federal lawsuit asserts that the Texas agency terminated a state prison clerk who refused to remove a head covering in line with her Ifa faith.

The Texas Tribune

Advocates seek to protect Texas inmates from uncooled imprisonment, say they're being 'cooked to death'

A complaint against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice says that lack of air conditioning in the premises amounts to cruel punishment

Latin Times

Texas inmates are being ‘cooked to death’ in extreme heat, complaint alleges

With the threat of another hot summer ahead, advocates asked a federal judge to declare 100-degree-plus conditions in uncooled Texas facilities unconstitutional.

The Texas Tribune

‘There Have to Be Limits’: Lawsuit Urges Scorching Prisons to Cool Down

New plaintiffs have expanded a 2023 lawsuit against TDCJ, accusing the agency of “cooking [prisoners] to death."

Texas Observer

Some Texas Prisoners Allowed Only Four Hours of Sleep a Night, Lawsuit Says

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with a man incarcerated at the Estelle Unit who has been suing over his sleep schedule for a decade.

Texas Observer

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Texas Observer

An Open Letter to Richard Linklater on Our Texas Death Penalty

Capital punishment ensnares us all in a labyrinth of our own making, as "God Save Texas: Hometown Prison" poignantly reveals.

Texas Observer

No Path to Redemption for Devout Death Row Inmates

Texas offers religious education to the condemned but rarely values religious growth when considering clemency requests.

Texas Observer

Advocates Request Clemency for Jewish Man on Death Row

Advocates argue that a difficult childhood and religious devotion should lead to a commutation or delay of execution.

The Texas Tribune

Texas inmate killed by cellmate during a statewide prison lockdown

The killing of inmate Billy Chemirmir in the Coffield Unit occurred during a statewide lockdown of prisons, promoted by a rise in inmate homicides. A day before the lockdown, another incident at the same prison resulted in the firings of seven correctional officers and the resignations of another six.

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Texas Observer

‘It Will Take the Breath Out of You’: Prisoners Describe Extreme Nighttime Heat in Texas Units

TDCJ will allocate $85 million to provide air conditioning to more units. In the meantime, is heat killing people in Texas prisons?

The Texas Tribune

Texas prison system issues statewide lockdown to combat illegal drugs, inmate violence

The state has canceled all visits to Texas prison inmates until a comprehensive search of all 100 correctional facilities for contraband has been completed.

The Independent UK

Texas prison lockdown over drug murders renews worries about lack of air conditioning in heat wave

Officials say the Texas prison system’s 100 units have been placed on a statewide lockdown due to a series of drug-related inmate homicides

Salon

Dozens die in sweltering Texas prisons

At least 41 prisoners have died of heart-related or undetermined causes since the unrelenting heat wave began

The Texas Tribune

As the death toll in stifling Texas prisons climbs, congressional Democrats ask for investigation

Most Texas prisons lack air conditioning. At least 41 prisoners have died of heart-related or undetermined causes since the unrelenting heat wave began.

The Texas Tribune

A prison guard says she was forced to stay at her post during labor pains. Texas is fighting compensation for her stillbirth.

The seven-months-pregnant officer reported contraction-like pains at work, but said she wasn’t allowed to leave for hours. The anti-abortion state is fighting her lawsuit, in part by saying her fetus didn’t clearly have rights.

The Guardian - US

‘People are dying’: Texas prisoners say heatwave turns cells into ovens

State’s prisons at crisis point with temperatures regularly above 115F threatening physical and mental health of inmates

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