Texas has what they call “old units” and “new units.” My first two prisons were old units, constructed from red brick. The same kind of brick that’s used to build massive ovens, which is exactly what those prisons become during the summers. They’re not insulated in any way, just literal brick walls that absorb heat like few things can.
The hottest part of the day was always after 6 p.m. The sun would go down but the bricks radiated the heat that they had absorbed all day long.. I have wondered if the architects made a mistake in design; why would you use red brick in such a hot climate? How could they not realize that they were building ovens that would kill countless men? It would be one thing if it were only prisoners, because Texas takes great pride in the severity and harsh conditions of its prison system. The politicians love to brag about how its prisons aren’t meant to be comfortable. And the lives of marginalized people in Texas have always been regarded cheaply. But the heat has killed its share of guards as well.
For the first 25 years I had assumed that the newer units would be cooler, that Texas had realized their mistake with the red brick, and perhaps even insulated the newer units. I assumed wrong. This summer and last summer have been the hottest summers I’ve spent in prison.
The wall next to my bed is made of cement, about 7 inches thick. The wall becomes so hot that it will scald my skin if I touch it. They made a show at my last two units of taking the temperature with a digital thermometer in different areas of the prison. It seemed like nothing more than a dog and pony show to me that existed only because of all the “heat” they’d been taking over the heat casualties. Why measure the temperature if you’re not going to do anything about it?
I cannot say for sure, but in general I believe the heat averaged more than 20 degrees hotter inside than outside. And on the 4th floor, the temperature reading always made the thermometer holder gasp.
Here, at this prison, I have never seen them take the temperature, but I promise you these cells are man killers in the summer. Many men refuse to return to their cells when it’s time for rack up. On any other unit, refusing to rack up would automatically result in a use of force. It’s a serious security threat. But here, not many supervisors make a big deal about the dozens of men who refuse to return their cells, even allowing them to sleep in the day room all night.
That an administration of a maximum security penitentiary in Texas would violate its own policies, allow such a loss of control, and overlook a security threat, probably illustrates how dangerously hot these cells are far more than any description a mere prisoner like myself could give.
I used to write letters everyday and I promised myself that I wouldn’t discuss the weather because a letter isn’t meant for small talk, and to me, the very definition of boring is somebody who discusses the weather all the time. But the summer heat takes over your entire existence. Everything in your life becomes subordinate to that heat. You sleep a lot less because the heat torments you. You eat a lot less for the same reason. All normal activity is suspended because the heat leeches the energy right out of you.
But it’s not really the heat that makes you suffer, it’s the misery also known as humidity. It slowly suffocates you. I once spent a summer in Death Valley when I was in the military. Death Valley is the hottest region in the United States. The temperature exceeded 120 degrees Fahrenheit all the time. But compared to 95 degrees Fahrenheit here in the armpit they call Texas, 120 degrees is air conditioning. From about May until November I am never, and I mean never, dry. You get the opportunity to shower once a day, and it’s a worthless shower because you’re coated in sweat even as you towel off the water.
My skin breaks out in a rash sometimes.I used to think it was a heat rash. But now I know it’s a fungus that forms in the damp of my skin. I must hand wash my bed sheets every 2 days to combat the reek of souring sweat. I have often wondered if I lose more than a gallon of water sweating in my sleep. There is a benefit to sleeping on soaked sheets though, whenever you turn over, the side of your body that touches the soaked sheets, feels really good.
I have heard that people in the free world often argue that prisoners shouldn’t have air conditioning because they themselves live without air conditioning. But they still have the ability to go outside, or drink ice water, or soak in cold water, or go watch a movie in an air conditioned theater. And even if they do none of this, they are not exposed to the extreme temperatures the prisoners are. I think it’s safe to say that because of our lack of control, we are exposed to temperatures that no other people in the United States are exposed to. But who cares, right? We’re only prisoners, we deserve to suffur and die in the heat.
Texas certainly believes so. In 2009 they stated that prisoners had less value than pigs. They didn’t say it verbally, they let their actions do the talking. They spent 14 million dollars to provide air conditioning for the pigs that we raise for slaughter.. I don’t begrudge the pigs. No living creature should have to suffer in the heat unnecessarily.
Here on this unit we have the Deadpool. At the beginning of summer we all put in a dollar and make our predictions of how many people will die from the heat and when it will happen. Surprisingly, not many people are enthusiastic about winning because there’s an underlying belief that the winner is cursed. Cursed to die next summer in the heat.
If you ask the state of Texas how many people die from heat exposure every year in their prison system they will probably tell you none. They battle wrongful death lawsuits all the time, so what would you expect them to say? And the death certificate will almost always say heart attack or stroke, which of course was caused by heat exposure. It is mostly the elderly and the careless who die in the heat, the careless being those who don’t drink enough water and eat enough salt to retain the water.
Texas has taken a lot of criticism about the danger they expose their prisoners and guards to. So they have written some pretty policies about protecting us from the heat, but as anybody familiar with bureaucracy can tell you, there’s a huge difference between the policy written on paper and the reality. So don’t believe anything they write about protecting us from the heat. Haven’t they already made it clear that the pigs are more important than the people?
And if you are in the right place at the right time, you just may get some cold water. That place is not in your cell. And don’t expect much more than a cup. No prison that I know of in Texas has enough ice machines to give us all cold water when we want it. And the ice machines constantly breakdown. And the so-called respite areas, an air conditioned spot where you can get relief from the heat? I’m sure those exist somewhere but just try getting to one. The best life saving practice that I know of is simply to cover your floor in water and lay in it.
I heard that the legislature actually passed a bill for air conditioning. Try to remember that this is Texas, the dreaded Bible Belt that loves capital and harsh punishment, a deeply red and conservative state. It’s hard to imagine them passing such a humane bill. But it was only a joke. One of two things happened that I have heard…. The bill passed but no money was allotted to implement it. Or the governor, who makes Donald Trump look like an intelligent humanitarian, smashed the bill like he did every other prison reform bill.
So far in our Deadpool the death toll stands at 3. Not one person predicted those deaths would happen before we reached the month of July.
