Federal Judge Orders Texas Prisons to Install Air-Conditioning by 2029

In a landmark ruling, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman concluded that the heat inside Texas prisons breaches the Eighth Amendment and mandated that every cell be equipped with air-conditioning no later than the close of 2029. Texas, which has previously spent millions on moisture control for poultry, now faces an estimated $1.5 billion expense, and the judge explicitly rejected cost as a legitimate defense. The state intends to challenge the order before the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

This decision highlights a nationwide struggle: Iowa prisons have waited 15 years for funding, Arizona cut a third of a $170 million cooling budget, and California is testing a $38 million pilot of cooling and insulation at three facilities. Advocates cite deaths such as Robert Buel’s at Anamosa State Penitentiary, where extreme heat may have contributed, underscoring the human toll of inadequate climate control in detention.