Texas prison agency seeks $298 million for air conditioning

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has requested $298 million from the state Legislature over the next two years to install air conditioning for more than 15,700 beds. While the agency describes this as “significant and measurable progress” toward addressing dangerous summer heat, the amount is a small fraction of the $1.5 billion estimated to fully cool all state prisons.

Nearly two-thirds of Texas’ 104 prisons currently lack full air conditioning. This budget request comes amid a legal battle where a federal judge is considering whether to mandate cooling in facilities where temperatures often exceed 100 degrees. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman previously found such conditions to be “plainly unconstitutional.”

Inmate advocacy groups have criticized the request, labeling it a sign of “deliberate indifference” to deadly conditions. Advocates note that at least 10 inmates died from heat-related causes between 2023 and 2025. Although the TDCJ previously outlined a multi-phase plan to address the issue, critics argue the current funding request falls significantly behind the agency's own projected schedule.