Pressure mounts on Texas to address brutal heat crisis in prison cells

State hit by new wrongful death lawsuit by family of Jason Wilson, who died in brutally hot, un-airconditioned' cell

Texas, the state with the largest prison population in the US, is coming under mounting legal pressure to address the ongoing crisis of brutal heat in its cells, as extreme summer temperatures expose inmates to suffering, illness and even death.

The Texas department of criminal justice (TDCJ), the state agency that runs dozens of prisons, has been hit by a new wrongful death lawsuit by the family of Jason Wilson. The inmate was found dead in his solitary confinement cell at the Coffield unit in July 2024.