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As Climate Changes, High Temperatures Plague Prisons and Jails
by Matt Clarke
At a September 2019 hearing, a U.S. District Court judge threatened to throw officials with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) into the same excessively hot prison cells that the agency had failed to air condition.
Despite agreeing in 2018 to install cooling …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Alaska Pays $400,000 to Settle Jail Prisoner’s Wrongful Death Suit, by Douglas Ankney
- Report: Summit Food Services Provides Inadequate Nutrition at Missouri Jail, by Kevin Bliss
- Maricopa County Pays $300,000 to Settle Lawsuit Over Arpaio-Era Prisoner Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Mississippi Prison Deaths Spike for Second Year; Disturbing Photos Revealed, by Matthew Clarke, David M. Reutter
- Illinois DOC Interferes with Prisoners’ College Program by Removing Books, by Edward Lyon
- Lawsuits Challenge Florida Law that Undermines Voting Rights Ballot Initiative, by David M. Reutter
- Third Circuit Affirms Refusal to Appoint Successive Counsel in Prisoner’s Civil Rights Case, by David M. Reutter
- Oregon Sheriff Places Own Head on the Chopping Block for Budget Cuts, by Kevin Bliss
- $2 Million Settlement in Lawsuit Over California Jail Prisoner’s Suicide, by Matthew Clarke
- California Court of Appeal Reverses Convictions for Possession of Marijuana in Prison, by Dale Chappell
- Second Circuit: Discharge Health Plan Part of In-Custody Mental Health Treatment When Pretrial Detainees Released, by Edward Lyon
- Oregon Supreme Court Reverses Course: Secretly Taping Prisoner’s Statements Does Not Violate Right to Counsel, by Mark Wilson
- Arizona DOC Publishes, Then Rescinds, Prison Tour Policy that Excluded Public Officials and Media, by Matthew Clarke
- Denver Tries to End Private Prison Companies’ Halfway House Contracts, by Matthew Clarke
- Lawsuit: Woman Gave Birth Alone in Colorado Jail Cell, by Kevin Bliss
- Connecticut Prison Writing Program Leads to Lawsuits, by David M. Reutter
- Third Circuit: Showers Part of Prison Operations for ADA and RA Purposes, by David M. Reutter
- Investigations into Texas Jail Deaths Find Thousands of Guards Untrained, on Temporary Licenses, by Matthew Clarke
- Former DOC Employee Awarded $300,000 in Workplace Sexual Harassment Case, by Matthew Clarke
- New York State Prisoner Wins Medical Malpractice Suit, Awarded $30,000, by Edward Lyon
- As Climate Changes, High Temperatures Plague Prisons and Jails, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Hawaii Prisoner’s Sexual Assault Lawsuit Settles for Paltry $10,000, by Edward Lyon
- The Sentencing Project Issues Report on Reducing Excessive Punishment for Violent Crimes, by Matthew Clarke
- California Federal Court Orders City to Pay $150,000 for Failure to Comply with Jail Settlement, by Chad Marks
- Fourth Circuit: Three Tasings in 70 Seconds May Constitute Excessive Force, by David M. Reutter
- California Prisoner Wins $365,000 Settlement for Assault by Jail Guards, by Scott Grammer
- Denial of Summary Judgment for Prison Officials Affirmed in West Virginia Excessive Force Case, by Scott Grammer
- Michigan Prisoner Prevails in First Amendment Retaliation Case; $30,000 in Damages and Attorney Fees, by David M. Reutter
- Cook County, Illinois to Pay $1.7 Million for Former Marine’s Suicide in Jail, by Douglas Ankney
- Court Grants Remittitur in Former Prison Teacher’s Sexual Harassment Case – Total Award of $6.4 Million Plus Fees, Costs, Interest, by Matthew Clarke
- Arizona Prisoner Receives $175,000 after Guards Read His Legal Mail, Shared it with FBI and Prosecutors, by Matthew Clarke
- Author John Grisham Pens Editorial Criticizing Death Penalty in North Carolina, by Scott Grammer
- Santa Clara County Jail Captain Accused of Misconduct, Retires, by Scott Grammer
- Family of California Prisoner Who Committed Suicide Settles Suit for $595,000, by Scott Grammer
- California County Settles Jail Death for $300,000, by Edward Lyon
- Alabama Jail Prisoner Accused of Conspiring to Get Pregnant, Claiming Rape, by Douglas Ankney
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of New Mexico Prisoner’s First Amendment Claims, by Scott Grammer
- North Carolina Prisoners Sue Over Gang Violence, Obtain $62,500 Settlement
- Hepatitis C Treatment Ordered in North Carolina Prisons, by David M. Reutter
- $157,000 Settlement in Michigan DOC Employee Discrimination Case, by David M. Reutter
- Congressional Black Caucus Institute Accepts Donations from Private Prison Companies, by Matthew Clarke
- Exploiting Prisoners on Prime Time, by Edward Lyon
- Three Louisiana Prisoners Cleared in 1994 Rape of Another Prisoner, by David M. Reutter
- Veteran Oregon Jail Guard Indicted and Jailed, by Mark Wilson
- Federal Court Sanctions New Mexico Corrections Department Over Out-of-State Legal Mail, by Matthew Clarke
- Survey: Jail Population Down but Incarceration Rates Higher for Whites, Women, by Jayson Hawkins
- Why Our Movement Can’t Afford to Ignore Private Prison Corporations, by Caroline Isaacs
- Audit Finds Mississippi Private Prison Plagued by Violence, Run by Gangs, by Kevin Bliss
- Infamous Louisiana Sheriff on His Way Out, by David M. Reutter
- San Francisco to Cut Costs for Jail Phone Calls, Commissary Sales, by Edward Lyon
- Vermont Supreme Court Remands Prison Correspondence Claim, by Edward Lyon
- Class Certified in Lawsuit Challenging Missouri Parole Violation Procedures, by David M. Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Mentally Ill Prisoners’ Suit Against GEO Group Survives Motion to Dismiss, by Douglas Ankney
- California Tried to Fix Its Prisons. Now County Jails Are More Deadly, by Jason Pohl, Ryan Gabrielson
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Indigent Parents Have Constitutional Right to Counsel at Public Expense, July 1, 2026
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026
- California Appeals Court Holds Defendant Cannot Be Penalized for Failing to Appear at Sentencing When He Was Being Held in Another County’s Jail on Preexisting Charges, July 1, 2026
- SCOTUS Reverses Mississippi Capital Conviction, July 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit Upholds $33 Million Jury Award in Suit Over Detainee’s Horrific Death in Oklahoma County Jail, July 1, 2026
- Texas Prison System Bans Prisoners from Receiving Hardback and Used Books, July 1, 2026
- CoreCivic’s Long Record of Abuse and Neglect in Tennessee, June 1, 2026
- Dallas County Jail Deaths, Many Preventable, Dramatically Increase Under Sheriff Marian Brown, June 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Lets Stand Ruling That Federal Prisoners’ Gradually Accumulated Savings Are Subject to Restitution Turnover, June 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Illinois Prisoner’s Lawsuit Against Prison Dental Staff, June 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- SCOTUS Continues to Hack Away At First Step Act, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Compassionate Release.
- California Supreme Court Limits Money Bail for Nonviolent Charges, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, Sentencing, Due Process, Constitutional Challenges/Law, Pretrial Detention and Detainees.
- ICE Stops Reporting Deaths of Recently Released Detainees, July 1, 2026. Misconduct/Corruption, Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Immigration Law/Offenses, Civil Rights Actions or Offenses/Bivens Actions.
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Prisoner Privileges, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Telephones.
- New York Governor Appoints Ex-Prisoner to State Oversight Role, July 1, 2026. Classification, Misconduct/Corruption, Conditions of Confinement, Prison Legal News documents, Prisoners' Rights.
- Fifth Circuit Kills Louisiana Prison Medical and Mental Health Care Reform, July 1, 2026. Medical, Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Immunity/Liability, Mental Health.
- Louisiana’s Atavistic Approach to Criminal Sentencing and Parole Demonstrates Politicians’ Failure to Learn from Past Mistakes, July 1, 2026. Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Sentencing, Parole, Prisoners' Rights.
- New York to Become First State to Require Judges to Visit Prisons, July 1, 2026. Classification, Conditions of Confinement, Staffing, Prisoner Privileges.
- Corrections Board Seeks to Join California Justice Department Juvenile Halls Lawsuit, July 1, 2026. Classification, Conditions of Confinement, Guards/Staff, Discretionary/Inherent Powers, Prison Regulations.
- $25,000 Paid to Former New York Jail Detainee Subjected to Delayed Healthcare and Denied Mental Healthcare— Despite Seven Suicide Attempts, July 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Conditions of Confinement, Mental Health, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.

