Staff & Safety

Extreme heat affects EVERYONE inside a prison... including correctional officers.

 

Heat contributes to:

• Higher staff turnover and burnout.

• Lower morale and greater physical and mental strain.

• More mandatory overtime due to chronic staffing shortages.

• Increased agitation, conflict, and violence among staff and incarcerated people.

 

Unsafe Conditions for Everyone

Large industrial fans are often used instead of air conditioning, but they do not cool the space. They simply circulate hot air and can make it harder for officers to hear emergencies or security threats.

​

When facilities are understaffed and employees are exhausted, safety protocols become harder to maintain, increasing risks for everyone inside.

​

The Cost of Inaction

Texas prisons have struggled with staffing shortages for years, with many facilities remaining significantly understaffed. Extreme heat makes recruitment and retention even more difficult, creating a cycle of burnout, vacancies, mandatory overtime, and declining safety.

Providing humane temperatures isn't just a humanitarian issue, it's a workplace safety, public safety, and fiscal responsibility issue.