NEW - Last week, a federal judge said that extreme heat in Texas prisons is "plainly unconstitutional." I thought it was worth looking at one of the biggest reasons Texas prisons don't have air conditioning: Former Senator-turned-Houston Mayor John Whitmire. www.chron.com/culture/arti... - ThreadSky

kissphoria.bsky.social • 8 days ago

NEW - Last week, a federal judge said that extreme heat in Texas prisons is "plainly unconstitutional."

I thought it was worth looking at one of the biggest reasons Texas prisons don't have air conditioning: Former Senator-turned-Houston Mayor John Whitmire.

https://www.chron.com/culture/article/texas-prison-air-conditioning-20249994.php

Comments

lesliemullin.bsky.social•8 days ago

Oh

“Despite a conservative push to remove Democrats from committee leadership in recent years, Whitmire time and time again retained his seat with full support from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. During the 2023 legislative session, Patrick appointed just one Democrat to chair a Senate Committee: Whitmire”

lesliemullin.bsky.social•8 days ago

Also I think voters would overwhelmingly vote down AC in prisons. Like 90%.

Cruel and unusual for inmates is disgustingly bipartisan.

kissphoria.bsky.social•8 days ago

yeah, it's a real "look at the violence inherent in the system" thing. it's the same way we talk about prison rape: its existence is a feature of the system, not a bug, as an added deterrent.

lesliemullin.bsky.social•8 days ago

😡😡😡

kissphoria.bsky.social•8 days ago

Whitmire briefly got some national attention when John Oliver played comments he made in 2011 on his show on Texas prisons - but outside of that, his role in keeping the state's prisons hot (not entirely his fault, but partly) goes mostly undiscussed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fiRDJLjL94

wdewitt.bsky.social•8 days ago

I worked on a crew that filmed a short in a closed New Mexico jail in the middle of summer and we went through probably hundreds of water bottles just trying to make sure no one keeled over from heat exhaustion

mrbtx.bsky.social•8 days ago

hot damn gwen

kraniumkracka.bsky.social•8 days ago

Weeeeeeeee

henryfung.bsky.social•8 days ago

If not for the prisoners then for the guards. Hot people are angry people.

kissphoria.bsky.social•8 days ago

yeah, i focused on prisoners because i think that's the most important, but the corrections officers and prison staff want A/C, as well.

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