Texas Walks Fine Line in Defending Prison Deaths, Vowing AC Fix

Texas is asking a federal court for permission to proceed with an unfunded, multi-year plan to install air conditioning across its entire prison system while simultaneously downplaying the role of extreme heat in the indoor deaths of at least 10 inmates since 2023.

The state began to navigate that line Monday during a bench trial scheduled to last for two weeks that will decide whether its prison system is engaging in deliberate indifference by allowing inside temperatures to creep above 85 degrees and in some cases much higher. Judge Robert Pitman of the Western District of Texas will decide whether ...