We stay connected through:

• Letters and correspondence from incarcerated people.

• Newsletters featuring incarcerated voices and perspectives.

• Surveys and feedback from impacted families.

• Family & Friends mediators and advocacy groups.

• Volunteer team members with lived experience who help shape our work.

• An incarcerated mediator team that identifies needs and connects people with support.

We work alongside lawmakers to advance evidence-based prison reform. Our advocacy has helped shape legislation addressing:

• Prison air conditioning.

• Compassionate release.

• Solitary confinement.

• The Law of Parties.

• Second Look sentencing and other collaborative legislative initiatives.

• Humane transportation for incarcerated women.

During the 86th, 87th, and 88th Texas Legislative Sessions, legislation supporting air conditioning in Texas prisons passed the Texas House with bipartisan support.

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In partnership with FAMM, we continue to encourage state and federal lawmakers to #VisitAPrison and witness prison conditions firsthand.

TPCA partners with universities, researchers, and directly impacted people to document prison conditions and inform public policy.

Our work includes:

• Co-authoring Extreme Temperatures and COVID-19 in Texas Prisons.

• Co-authoring Provision of Air Conditioning and Heat-Related Mortality in Texas Prisons, which found an estimated 14 heat-related deaths each year in Texas prisons without air conditioning—and none in air-conditioned facilities.

• Co-founding the CIRCol Collective, bringing together researchers from multiple disciplines to address inhumane prison conditions nationwide.

• Partnered with researchers, helping bring incarcerated voices into academic research.

We educate communities, train advocates, and create opportunities for people across Texas to take action.

Highlights include:

• Launched the 85 to Stay Alive campaign to raise awareness of extreme temperatures in Texas prisons.

• Brought our heated Mock Cell and prison conditions exhibit to communities across Texas, including the Texas Capitol, Texas A&M, and St. Mary's University.

• Introduced I'm Affected, a public awareness slogan showing that mass incarceration affects everyone, not just those directly impacted.

• Engaged students through classroom presentations, workshops, and panel discussions.

• Empowered impacted families through advocacy training, Capitol visits, volunteer opportunities, and community events.

• Partnered with other organizations to amplify collective impact and drive systemic change.

• Providing clear pathways to action: Get Involved, Contact Your Legislators, Answering the Call, Advocacy Toolkits.

​Holding Texas accountable through the courts. Key highlights include:​

• Exposed inaccurate prison temperature records through the landmark Fifth Circuit lawsuit, demanding greater transparency and accountability.

• Supported federal litigation seeking humane, statewide temperature standards across Texas prisons.

• Partnered with legal professionals, incarcerated people, and impacted families to document prison conditions and strengthen legal cases.