‘Man Down!’: Surviving the Texas Heat in Prisons Without Air-Conditioning
The New York Times, June 29, 2023: ‘Man Down!’: Surviving the Texas Heat in Prisons Without Air-Conditioning
“…The weekslong June heat wave scorching Texas has been particularly brutal and dangerous inside the state’s sprawling prison system, where a majority of those incarcerated, and the guards who watch over them, have been struggling without air-conditioning.
“In more than a dozen interviews this week, current and former inmates, as well as their relatives and friends, described an elemental effort at survival going on inside the prisons, with inmates relying on warm water, wet towels and fans that push hot air. Some flooded their cells with water from their combination sink-toilets, lying on the wet concrete for relief. Others, desperate for the guards’ attention, lit fires or took to screaming in unison for water or for help with an inmate who had passed out.
“‘If somebody goes down, we start beating on the lockers and doors yelling, “Man down!”’ said Luke King, 41, an inmate who, along with Mr. Martire, is in a prison in Huntsville, Texas. With the heat, he said, that has been happening ‘at least daily.’”
Additional reading:
The New Republic, July 1, 2023: When Will We Stop Letting People Die From Heat in Prison?
Time, May 23, 2023: 'Air Conditioning is a Human Right.' Heat-Related Prison Deaths Are Rising Due to Climate Change
NPR, August 20, 2022: Few rules address extreme heat problem in prisons
