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“Frozen in Solitude’’: Heat-Sensitive Texas Prisoners Get More Than Air Conditioning Locked Inside Former Segregation Cells
Loaded on Sept. 15, 2023
by Matthew Clarke
published in Prison Legal News
September, 2023, page 1
Filed under:
Exposure to Cold,
Exposure to Heat,
Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
Location:
Texas.
by Matt Clarke
After the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) settled a lawsuit over life-threatening excessive heat at the Wallace Pack Unit in 2018, it realized it needed to apply the suit’s heat-sensitivity criteria systemwide – and found a quick solution.
For years, officials had been moving prisoners out ...
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More from this issue:
- “Frozen in Solitude’’: Heat-Sensitive Texas Prisoners Get More Than Air Conditioning Locked Inside Former Segregation Cells, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Four Hawaii Prison Guards Sentenced for Beating Prisoner – But One Wins Back-Pay, by David Reutter
- Sheriffs Offered Caribbean Cruises and Florida Retreats As Part Of Jail Telecom Contracts, by Hayden Betts
- $1 Million Settlement Reached After Detainee’s Suicide in Washington Jail, by David Reutter
- The Lecturer at the Lockup: Maine Prisoner Is First to Teach College Courses from His Cell
- Arkansas Parole Board Denies Release to Sex Offender For Failure to Find Appropriate Housing, by David Reutter
- Unyielding Pursuit of Justice or Unfulfilled Promises: Doubts Surround California Habeas Attorney
- After $300,000 Settlement for Detainee’s Death, Texas County Looks to Replace Jail
- LGBTQ+ Detainees at Rikers Island Suffer Under Mayor Adams, by Kevin Bliss
- $8.25 Million Verdict Against Former Colorado Sheriff for Detainee’s Sexual Assault During Jail Transfer, by Matthew Clarke
- Life Sentence for Alabama Jail Escapee After Suicide of Guard Lover Who Helped Him, by Chuck Sharman
- Calls for California Sheriff’s Department Oversight After Jail Deaths, $30,000 Settlement for Botched Traffic Stop
- Innovative Brazilian Prison Claims “Here the Man Enters, the Crime Stays Outside”
- Oregon Parole Hearing Exclusion Rule Invalidated, by David Reutter
- U.S. Marshals Pull Out of Virginia Jail After Two Escapes in One Day
- Government Watchdog Adds BOP to List at “High Risk” of Mismanagement, by Kevin Bliss
- BOP Guard, Nurse in Virginia Indicted in Prisoner’s Death
- Washington Supreme Court: Requiring Certificate of Merit for Medical Malpractice Suits Held Invalid
- Four Deaths in Seven Weeks at Pennsylvania Prison
- Two Dead and $4.675 Million Paid After Deputies’ Alleged Misconduct in California’s Sonoma County, by Casey Bastian
- Congress Forces BOP to Upgrade Security Cameras, by Mark Wilson
- Prisoner Health Update: Over-the-Counter Medications, by Eike Blohm, MD
- San Diego County Pays $4.35 Million After Jail Guards Failed to Stop Detainee From Blinding Herself, by David Reutter
- New York Prison System Found Liable for Failure to Protect Prisoner from Assault
- Insider Trading Charges Dropped Against JPay Founder, by Matthew Clarke
- Prison Ministry Sues Indiana Jail Over Book Ban
- Five Years After Limiting Personal Visits and Banning Mail, Drug Use Worse in Pennsylvania Prisons
- At Massive and Corrupt Philippine Prison, Contraband Includes Jacuzzis and Horses, by Kevin Bliss
- FBI Crime Report Lacking Data from Police Agencies Serving 25 Percent of U.S. Population
- Incarceration Increases Death Risk for Cancer Patients
- $120,000 Paid to Muslim Detainees for Discrimination by Maryland Jail, by David Reutter
- Oregon Will Hold Release Hearings for 73 Prisoners Sentenced to LWOP as Juveniles, by Mark Wilson
- Federal Watchdog Finds BOP Staffing, Maintenance in Crisis
- Senators Slam “Egregious” Prisoner Sexual Abuse by BOP Employees, by Mark Wilson
- Minnesota Supreme Court Denies Qualified Immunity for Delayed Transfer of Sex Offenders, by Mark Wilson
- Former BOP Employees Guilty of Assaulting a Prisoner and Taking Bribes at Troubled Federal Prison in Massachusetts
- Second Circuit Affirms $600,000 Punitive Damage Award to New York Prisoner Brutally Beaten by Guards, by Kevin Bliss
- “Be Christian or Be Penalized”: After Fourth Circuit Revives Muslim Prisoner’s Challenge, Virginia Jail Settles Suit for $30,000, by Douglas Ankney
- Aramark Sparks Nevada Prison Hunger Strike, by Mark Wilson
- $50,002 Jury Award to Illinois Prisoner Retaliated Against for Daughter’s Facebook Posts, by David Reutter
- HRDC Granted Injunction to End Censorship in Arkansas Jail, by David Reutter
- As e-Messaging Takes Off in U.S. Prisons, Complaints Over Service and Costs Multiply, by David Reutter
- California Guard Charged with Raping 22 Prisoners
- Maryland Sheriff Charged with Illegally Procuring Machine Guns from ATF, by Kevin Bliss
- Nevada Pays $75,000 for Religious Discrimination Claims of Prisoners in Episcopal and The Way Faith Groups, by David Reutter
- California Supreme Court Remands Guards’ Overturned Murder Convictions In Detainee Death At Santa Clara County Jail
- Alabama Denies Parole to 90% of Eligible Prisoners
- Former Connecticut Prisoner’s Challenge Proceeds Against “Pay-to-Stay” Fees
- No Summary Judgment for Private Transportation Company in Maryland Detainee’s Suit Alleging “Horrific” 2,000-Mile Journey, by Keith Sanders
- $5,000 Settlement for Warrantless Search of Pro Se North Carolina Prisoner’s Cellphone, by Matthew Clarke
- Challenge Survives to Maryland County’s Cash Bond Program, by David Reutter
- Oregon Governor Commutes All Death Sentences, by Mark Wilson
- Shocking Video Footage Reveals Rampant Violence and Neglect in Los Angeles County Jails
- Voting Rights Restoration for Virginia Ex-Felons Once Again Subject to Governor’s Whim, by Kevin Bliss
- Doctor Convicted of Sexually Abusing USA Gymnasts Is Stabbed in Prison Cell
- Solitary Confinement is a Catch-22 for Colorado Prisoners and a “Moral Injury” for Mental Health Workers
- News in Brief
- Exasperated Federal Judge Issues Permanent Injunction to Arizona DOC in Healthcare Class-Action, by Matthew Clarke
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:
- Help Wanted: 31,000 Prison Guard Jobs Open Nationwide, Sept. 1, 2025. Conditions of Confinement, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Exercise, Lockdowns, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Guards/Staff, Staff Training.
- DOJ Finds Unconstitutional Conditions in Texas Juvenile Detention, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Sentencing, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Protect (Juveniles), Juvenile Prisons.
- 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.
- 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.
- California Enacts Counterproductive, Regressive Solitary Confinement Bill, June 1, 2025. Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, State Legislation.
- Third Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Pennsylvania DOC in Prisoner’s Challenge to 26 Years of Solitary Confinement, May 1, 2025. Qualified Immunity, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
- Texas Prison Heat Declared Unconstitutional, May 1, 2025. Eighth Amendment, Exposure to Heat, Preliminary Injunctions/TRO's, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- $250,000 Settlement But No Charges After Alabama Guards Beat Prisoner To Death, April 1, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Deliberate Indifference.
- New York Suspends Solitary Ban to Woo Back Striking Prison Guards, April 1, 2025. Work Strikes, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Guards/Staff.
- Tenth Alabama Jail Employee Pleads Guilty in Detainee’s Freezing Death, April 1, 2025. Exposure to Cold, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.