Texas, the state with the largest prison population in the US, is facing mounting legal pressure to address the brutal heat crisis in its cells, as extreme summer temperatures expose inmates to suffering, illness, and death. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has been hit by a new wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Jason Wilson, an inmate found dead in his solitary confinement cell at the Coffield unit in July 2024.
New wrongful death lawsuit
The family's civil complaint, lodged in a federal district court in Houston, accuses the state of inflicting cruel and unusual punishment on Wilson, leading to his death in a "brutally hot, un-airconditioned cell." The suit claims that refusal to provide cool water and regular showers, combined with the lack of air conditioning and failure to check on his wellbeing, caused immense suffering and death. The lawsuit describes the conditions as a result of "deliberate indifference" and "intentional discrimination" by Texas authorities.
Federal court action over heat crisis
The new lawsuit comes as Texas awaits the outcome of a separate federal court action in Austin. An alliance of advocacy groups is calling on a federal judge to order the state to install air conditioning in all its prisons over the next three years. A ruling is expected within months. Of Texas's 141,000 prisoners, more than 85,000 are held in cells without air conditioning, where internal temperatures regularly exceed 115°F (46°C) in summer, with a high of 149°F recorded.
Heat-related deaths and conditions
TDCJ has acknowledged three heat-related deaths in 2023, but denies any such fatalities since then. One deceased inmate, Patrick Womack, 50, had a core body temperature of 106.9°F. In the Coffield unit, the temperature log recorded 107°F the day before Wilson died. In Anderson County, where the prison is located, temperatures reached 100°F or hotter on 17 out of 30 days in June. Advocates report that inmates are desperate, with some spilling dirty toilet water on concrete floors to cool off.
Advocate reports dire conditions
Brittany Robertson, an outside advocate for hundreds of Texas inmates, said she has received distress signals from individuals complaining of a lack of cool water. "The cool down showers are still at regular shower temperatures, which won't do anything to lower the body temperature," Robertson said. "The dire conditions are made worse by electricity and water outages." One communication from an inmate at Coffield echoed urgent pleas Robertson received from Wilson before his death: "I was stuck 20hrs with no running water or a toilet."
Wilson's final days
At the time of his death, Wilson was locked in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. He had co-morbidities including obesity, requiring intensive wellness checks during hot spells. However, the officer responsible for the last wellness check the night before his death failed to complete it, citing understaffing and being "tired due to the heat." Ronnie Wilson, Jason's father who filed the lawsuit, said he had no idea of his son's suffering until after his death. He learned that staff colloquially called Coffield the "glass house" because of the sun's intensity.
Call for justice and funding
Ronnie Wilson said money is not the issue; he wants justice and changes. "Too many people are dying. My son was sentenced for what he did wrong, but he didn't get a death sentence. He wasn't meant to suffer like that," he said. TDCJ declined to comment due to pending litigation. The cost of air conditioning all Texas prisons is estimated at $1.3 billion, while the state's rainy day fund is capped at $27 billion. However, accessing the fund requires a two-thirds legislative vote.
Erica Grossman, a lawyer on both the wrongful death suit and the federal action, said prison authorities deny the scale of the problem. "You don't get the funding unless you explain to the legislature why you need it," she said. "The state has tolerated unconstitutional, brutal conditions inside its cells for years. Prisoners in solitary confinement like Jason Wilson are basically being cooked to death."
