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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 …
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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:
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Texas Officials Testify That Cost to Air Condition Prisons Tops $1.5 Billion, May 1, 2026. Eighth Amendment, Exposure to Heat, Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Deliberate Indifference, Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
- Missouri Prisons Called Out for Incomplete Death Records, Hellish Solitary Heat, April 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Exposure to Heat, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Deliberate Indifference.
- Tulsa Jail Withholds Records Related to Detainee Deaths, April 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Wrongful Death, Suicides, Access to Media, Public Records Act.
- Prisoners in Oklahoma Can Now Buy Vapes, Pouches from Commissary, April 1, 2026. Medical, Statistics/Trends, Commissary, Prison Regulations.
- Constitutional Challenge to Louisiana Prison “Farm Line” Granted Class Certification, March 1, 2026. Prison Labor, Exposure to Heat, Injunctions (PLRA), Class Certification, Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Minnesota Study Shows Disproportionate Rate of Health and Mental Problems for Recently Incarcerated, March 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Medical, Statistics/Trends, Mental Health, Health care.
- Three Prisoners Killed in Fight at Georgia Prison, Feb. 1, 2026. Prison/Jail Murders, Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Eighth Amendment, Staffing.
- Deportation of Kenyan Priest Working as Texas Prison Guard Highlights TDCJ’s Dependence on Immigrant Staff, Feb. 1, 2026. Staffing, Exposure to Heat, Guards/Staff, Deportation/Removal/Exclusion, Detention - Generally.
- California Funds $38 Million Pilot Program to Investigate Methods for Cooling Three Prisons, Jan. 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Eighth Amendment, Exposure to Heat, Deliberate Indifference.
- As California Limits Water Use, People in Prison Face Punishment for Showering, Jan. 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Eighth Amendment, Environmental Law, Water, Sanitation.