John Bogna
Two inmates stood before a federal judge Monday not to receive sentencing, but to testify in a federal lawsuit.
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Living in cell blocks with no air conditioning has become a serious enough problem that attorneys have filed the suit seeking emergency relief, according to the Chronicle. The lawsuit claims the lack of a/c in the Texas heat qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment.
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One 63-year-old living in one of these blocks had to be taken to the infirmary after he fainted in line for food. “It feels like being in a hot box all summer,” said Jackie Brannum. “I get weak. I feel nauseated. I get headaches. It feels like the top of my head is going to blow off.”
This all started with six inmates in Navasota, a town about 75 miles away from Houston. They claim the severe heat, coupled with no cross-ventilation in cells with sealed windows, is a threat to their lives. A U.S. district judge recently found elevated arsenic levels in the drinking supply at the same Navasota prison – Wallace Pack Unit.
According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, 22 inmates have died of heat-related illnesses since 1998. Despite this, the majority of Texas prisons still don’t have a/c in their housing units.
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