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Heat-related Deaths in Texas Prisons Lead to Lawsuits, Reluctant Changes
Heat-related Deaths in Texas Prisons Lead to Lawsuits, Reluctant Changes
by Matt Clarke and David M. Reutter
Prisoners across the nation are currently experiencing the oppressive heat of summer – particularly in the Southern states. Those incarcerated in Texas, however, have not just been sweating due to high temperatures. They ...
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More from this issue:
- Report: Prisons in Honduras are Dangerous, Violent and Corrupt, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit: Indiana Malicious Prosecution Claim Cognizable via § 1983, by Mark Wilson
- Washington Supreme Court Recognizes Racial Bias in Jury Selection but Fails to Take Action, by Mark Wilson
- Private Prison Contractor Not Subject to New Jersey’s Open Records Act
- Oregon Attorney Fee Repayment Requires Showing of Ability to Pay, by Mark Wilson
- Jails Stop Posting Mug Shots to End "Extortion" by Profiteering Websites
- Unfair Punishment, by Sam Levin
- Ninth Circuit Again Rejects California’s Resistance to ADA Obligations, by Mark Wilson
- Kansas DNA Testing Eligibility Extended to Second-Degree Murder, by Mark Wilson
- Ninth Circuit Vacates FRCP 4(m) Dismissal Without Notice, by Mark Wilson
- Fifth Circuit Upholds Qualified Immunity in Medical Neglect Death of Texas Detainee, by Matthew Clarke
- Cover-up of Angola Prisoner’s Beating Results in Guilty Pleas, $8,000 Settlement
- Lethal Injection Protocol, Source of Execution Drugs Challenged in Pennsylvania
- Washington Prison Guard’s Murder Costs State $2.5 Million and Counting, by Mark Wilson
- Failure to Treat Tuberculosis Suit Survives Summary Judgment, Settles for $1.4 Million, by Derek Gilna
- Physician Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Prisoners in Georgia, District of Columbia
- Washington Jail Detainees Sue over Videotaped "Peep Shows", by Mark Wilson
- ICE Officials Target of Sexual Harassment, Gender Discrimination Lawsuits
- Heat-related Deaths in Texas Prisons Lead to Lawsuits, Reluctant Changes, by Matthew Clarke
- Fifth Circuit Grants Summary Judgment for Substitution of Pain Medication
- Seventh Circuit: Routine Erasure of Prison Security Tapes Does Not Warrant Sanctions, by Michael Brodheim
- Qualified Immunity to Iowa DOC Director for Recalculating Prisoners’ Release Dates, by David Reutter
- Reversal of Oregon Parole Postponement Due to Incorrect Psychological Evaluation, by Mark Wilson
- ACLU Granted Preliminary Injunction Requiring Michigan Jail to Deliver Legal Mail, by David Reutter
- Update on PLN Suit Against Nevada DOC
- South Carolina Supreme Court Reverses Parole Denial, by Michael Brodheim
- Texas Correctional Industries: Providing Useful Work Skills or Slave Labor?
- Ninth Circuit: Prisoner’s Service of Process for Other Prisoner Not Protected Conduct, by Mark Wilson
- U.S. Sentencing Commission Approves Retroactivity for Drug Offense Sentence Reductions, by Derek Gilna
- Temple University Acts on Complaint Against Authors of Private Prison Study
- "Mass Chaos" Reigns at Georgia Prisons, by David Reutter
- How to Starve the For-profit Prison Beast, by Justin Jones
- Qui Tam Lawsuits Under the Federal False Claims Act – An Overview, by Sabarish Neelakanta
- PLN Settles Lawsuit Against Kenosha County, Wisconsin for $116,500, by Derek Gilna
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- BJS Report: Jail Population Increases in Indian Country
- News in Brief
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Texas Social Workers Challenge Blanket Denial of State Occupational License Based on Youthful Assault Convictions, Aug. 1, 2025
- After Judge’s Letter, at Least 22 Former FCI Dublin Prisoners Granted Compassionate Release, Aug. 1, 2025
- Nebraska Supreme Court Clarifies Award of Time Served Credit for Non-Citizen Awaiting Extradition, Aug. 1, 2025
- Former Oregon Prison Guard Sergeant Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Imprisoned Women, Aug. 1, 2025
- Nebraska Supreme Court Clarifies Procedure for Crediting Jail Time to Multiple Contemporaneously-Imposed Sentences, Aug. 1, 2025
- Over One-Third of Older Texas Prisoners Suffering Cognitive Impairment, July 15, 2025
- Kansas Supreme Court Revives Prisoner’s Challenge to Loss of Parental Rights, June 1, 2025
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Baha’i Texas Prisoner’s Dietary Claim, June 1, 2025
- $5.6 Million Settlement for California Prisoner’s Wife Strip-searched During Visit, June 1, 2025
- Academic Study of Prison Guards’ Use of Excessive Force Details Sad State of Civil Rights for Abused Prisoners, June 1, 2025
More from these topics:
- Now Under Federal Receivership, New York City’s Rikers Island Jails Still Have No Plan to Improve, No Firm Date to Close, Aug. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Records, Eighth Amendment.
- Fifth Circuit Greenlights Federal Takeover of Mississippi Jail, Aug. 1, 2025. Sexual Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Stun Guns/Tasers.
- Watchdog Calls Out D.C. for Dragging Feet on Construction of New Jail, Aug. 1, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Overcrowding, Ventilation, Exercise, Exposure to Cold, Jail Specific, Lighting, Noise, Vermin, Exposure to Heat, Security Systems.
- Ninth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Arizona Challenge to Private Prisons, July 15, 2025. Private Prisons, Eighth Amendment, Thirteenth Amendment, rights, Fourteenth Amendment, rights.
- Over One-Third of Older Texas Prisoners Suffering Cognitive Impairment, July 15, 2025. Geriatric Classification, Medical, Failure to Treat, Elderly Defendants.
- Ongoing Detainee Deaths Push Rikers Island into Federal Court Receivership, July 15, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Fire Hazards, Overcrowding, Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Environmental Law, Plumbing, Sewage, Jail Specific.
- Solving the Carceral Understaffing Crisis: What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why, July 15, 2025. Work Conditions/Safety, Overcrowding, Staffing, Exposure to Cold, Exposure to Heat.
- Punishment TV, July 1, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Food, Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Prison Tourism/Consumerism.
- Long-Running Consent Decree Again Extended at Troubled Baltimore Jail, June 1, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Eighth Amendment, Prison Conditions.
- Study Finds Just 1% of Prisoner’s Eighth Amendment Claims Succeed, May 1, 2025. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Systemic Medical Neglect, Eighth Amendment, Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Cruel and Unusual Punishment.

