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Texas sees prisoner deaths spike as congressman calls for investigation of 'cruel and unusual' punishments.
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Citing the many reports of dangerous heat in Texas and other states’ prisons this summer, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee encourage GOP colleagues to join them in pushing for action.
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Temperatures in cells often stay in the 90s for hours and can reach into the triple digits. Officials say there is no evidence the heat is killing prisoners, despite a spike in prison deaths that independent analysts attribute to the heat.
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The seven-months-pregnant officer reported contraction-like pains at work, but said she wasn’t allowed to leave for hours. The anti-abortion state is fighting her lawsuit, in part by saying her fetus didn’t clearly have rights.
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A study published last November links 271 deaths between 2001 and 2019 to unairconditioned Texas prisons. An analysis of state data showed that a spike in the mortality rate has hit Texas prisons system-wide.
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A state prison leaking thousands of gallons of water left Venus, near Fort Worth, without water pressure and now under a boil notice.
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The price rise hit prisoners seeking bottled water as temperatures eclipse the 100 degree mark in unairconditioned facilities. The state vendor asked to raise the price and two state agencies signed off.
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Inmates say food melts in front of them and claim their cells' temperatures exceed 150 degrees.
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Advocacy groups say physical mail is an important part of contact between those behind bars and the outside world.
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Since a heat wave gripped Texas, at least nine inmates, including two men in their 30s, have died of heart attacks or unknown causes in prisons lacking air conditioning. It’s been 11 years since the state last classified a death as heat-related.