85 TO STAY ALIVE
Born in Texas. Inspiring change nationwide.
Temperature should never determine who lives or dies.
Throughout the year, incarcerated Texans endure dangerous temperature extremes, from life-threatening summer heat to unheated facilities during colder months.
Texas prisons are not held to the same temperature standards as jails, which are required to maintain a heat index between 65–85°F. The 85 to Stay Alive campaign is working to change that.
For thousands of incarcerated people, correctional officers, healthcare workers, and families, unsafe temperatures pose a serious threat to health, safety, and human dignity.
What began in Texas is helping drive a national movement for humane temperatures in prisons.
Key Facts From Texas Prisons
Why This Matters
Human Rights
Extreme temperatures threaten life, dignity and constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment.
Health
Heat contributes to:
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heat stroke
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cardiac events
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respiratory illness
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mental health deterioration
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medication complications
Staff Safety
Correctional officers work in the same dangerous conditions.
Extreme heat contributes to:
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burnout
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injuries
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staffing shortages
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workers compensation claims
Families
Families spend every summer wondering whether their loved one will survive another heat wave.
Public Cost
Heat costs taxpayers through
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litigation
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healthcare
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overtime
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turnover
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emergency infrastructure
Take Action Now
Take 5 minutes to demand change by signing these 85 to Stay Alive petitions and action letters.
#85toStayAlive
Texas Prisons Temperature Tracker
Coming soon.
Research & Evidence
Heat-Related Mortality in Texas Prisons Report (2022)
TDCJ Units With AC Report (2023)
Medical Issues Caused by Extreme Heat
Heat Makes Existing Medical Conditions Worse
People in prison have far higher rates of chronic illness than the general population.
About 1 in 2 incarcerated people lives with at least one chronic medical condition.
Extreme heat can quickly turn manageable conditions into life-threatening emergencies.
Heat increases the risk of:
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Heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
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Heart, kidney, and respiratory complications.
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Anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health crises.
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Dehydration, poor hygiene, and infectious disease.
Higher Risk. Higher Stakes.
Many incarcerated people are especially vulnerable because they are older, have chronic illnesses, or take heat-sensitive medications.
Some psychiatric and other medications reduce the body's ability to cool itself through sweating, greatly increasing the risk of serious illness or death.
As Texas' prison population ages, more people are at risk; and prolonged exposure to extreme heat can have deadly consequences. Continue reading to learn more.
Heat-Related Deaths & Suicides
Every summer, deaths, suicides, suicide attempts, and violence increase in Texas prisons.
Research by Dr. Julie Skahra and colleagues found:
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~14 deaths per year were linked to extreme heat in Texas prisons (2001–2019).
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271 deaths (13% of all warm-season deaths) were attributable to extreme heat in prisons without air conditioning.
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No heat-related deaths were associated with prisons that had air conditioning.
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Bottom line: Air conditioning is one of the most effective ways to prevent heat-related deaths in prison.
Staff & Safety
Extreme heat increases staff burnout, turnover, and mandatory overtime while raising tensions and safety risks throughout prisons. Without air conditioning, unsafe working conditions make it harder to recruit and retain correctional officers, creating higher costs and greater risks for everyone inside.
"I've had friends pass out (on the job)"
– Officer, TDCJ Unit, 2022
TPCA Policy Recommendations
Texas summers are becoming longer, hotter, and more dangerous. Climate change is increasing the risk, and research consistently shows that air conditioning is the most effective way to prevent heat-related illness and death.
The solution: Fully fund and install air conditioning in every housing, work, and common area across all TDCJ facilities.
While progress has begun, it is far too slow. TDCJ reports that within the next two years it expects to provide 58,464 cooled beds (43,572 completed and 14,892 in progress). Yet the system has capacity for more than 155,000 people and currently houses more than 130,000 incarcerated Texans. Thousands will continue to endure dangerous heat each summer unless installation is significantly accelerated.
Until permanent air conditioning is in place, Texas should:
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Maintain safe temperatures. Enforce a statewide indoor temperature standard of 65–85°F.
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Provide free cold drinking water. Ensure bottled water is available to incarcerated people, staff, and correctional officers during extreme heat.
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Install temporary cooling. Use temporary air conditioning in facilities awaiting permanent installation.
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Increase transparency. Install electronic thermometers throughout each facility with readings accessible to legislators or an independent oversight body.
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Guarantee daily showers. Require daily showers during summer months and remove "at the discretion of the warden" language.
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Reduce building heat. Use reflective roofing, heat-reducing coatings, and other proven cooling measures.
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Limit heat exposure. Restrict prolonged lockdowns and "rack up" practices during periods of extreme heat.
More Information
Heat News
Impacted People
Heat Resources
Heat
Research
Did you know? Extensive research documents the harms of extreme heat in Texas prisons.
After reading the evidence, you may find yourself asking the same question we do: Why is this still allowed to continue?
Which Units
Have AC?
TPCA report on TDCJ facilities (please check official TDCJ sources for up-to-date information).
Heat-Related Videos
85 to Stay Alive Coalition
Texas Current Litigation
The Pack Unit Lawsuit In 2014, a group of elderly and medically vulnerable individuals incarcerated at the Wallace Pack Unit filed Cole v. Collier, arguing that indoor temperatures exceeding 100°F placed their lives at risk. In 2018, the court ruled in their favor, requiring Texas to install air conditioning at the Pack Unit and recognizing that the conditions violated constitutional protections. The case marked a major legal milestone, but the remedy applied only to a single facility, leaving thousands of people across the Texas prison system exposed to dangerous temperatures. Today, litigation continues to seek broader statewide protections and a universal standard for humane temperatures in all Texas prisons. Explore the key court filings and documents below to learn more about the legal fight for humane prison conditions.
The Fifth Circuit Heat Lawsuit The current Fifth Circuit heat lawsuit seeks to establish a statewide constitutional standard for humane temperatures in Texas prisons. Unlike the Pack Unit case, which resulted in relief for a single facility, this lawsuit aims to protect people incarcerated across the entire Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) system. Filed on behalf of incarcerated individuals, with TPCA joining as a plaintiff, the case argues that exposing people to prolonged extreme heat violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Plaintiffs are asking the court to require TDCJ to maintain temperatures between 65°F and 85°F in all prison facilities. Court proceedings have revealed troubling evidence, including findings that TDCJ underreported heat-related illnesses and deaths, relied on unreliable temperature records, and implemented heat mitigation policies that were inadequate to protect incarcerated people and staff. The court has also criticized the agency's heat scoring system and recordkeeping practices. While litigation is ongoing, the case represents one of the most significant legal challenges to Texas prison heat conditions to date. A favorable outcome could establish lasting protections for tens of thousands of people living and working in Texas prisons.
