As the continued heatwave makes headlines for raging by way of the United States, inmates everywhere in the nation are “cooking” in jail cells that lack air-con.
In an effort to name consideration to what’s occurring inside these cells, a formerly-incarcerated man named Calvin Johnson is describing among the strategies he and inmates used to maintain cool throughout his 37-year stint in a Texas jail.
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Former Inmate Recalls Seeing Men Pass Out “From The Heat”
According to BBC News, the 67-year-old make clear one technique he utilized “a bunch of times,” which concerned clogging the cell rest room to “lay in the water.”
“Sometimes you can clog the commode and let the water run. Put your pants and your shirt across that, and lay in the water for a while.”
Johnson added, “People passed out from the heat. I’ve seen that many times.”
The publication notes that, of the 100 prisons affiliated with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), solely 31 are solely air-conditioned. While 55 have partial air-con, 14 have none in any respect.
At Least 23 Texas Prisoners Reportedly Died From Mid-June To Mid-July
With this info in thoughts, it’s essential to name consideration to how inmates are presently faring with 2023’s record-breaking warmth.
According to a Jul. 18 report by The Texas Tribune, at the least 23 inmates died since mid-June as exterior temperatures soared into the triple-digits. Family members responded by calling for Gov. Greg Abbott (R.) to provoke instant laws to chill down the prisons.
In reality, the publication notes one grieving mom as declaring, “They’re cooking our babies alive!”
In response to those feedback, TDCJ spokesperson Amanda Hernandez informed BBC News, “Everyone has access to ice and water.”
“Fans are strategically placed in facilities to move the air. Inmates have access to a fan and they can access air-conditioned respite areas when needed.”
On the flip facet, Clifton Buchanan — a former correctional officer serving as a deputy director for AFSCME Texas Corrections, which represents TDCJ workers — known as consideration to how the situations affect each inmates and officers.
“Everything inmates suffer from, we do as well.”
After noting that workers are “working in an inferno,” Buchanan questioned, “Does one of our staff have to die before they will put AC there?”
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