Formerly incarcerated Texans are speaking out as a federal trial over extreme heat in Texas prisons continues in Austin.
Houston Newsroom reporter Emmanuella Desruisseaux spoke with former inmates and advocates who say the heat inside some state prisons can become dangerous during Texas summers. Some described physical symptoms, mental strain and tensions that worsened as temperatures climbed.
“There are fights freaking out all the time, and the heat was like the main cause of that,” Desruisseaux said in a conversation with fellow Houston Newsroom reporter Hope Yang.
Her reporting explores the human stories behind the ongoing legal battle and the broader debate over conditions inside Texas prisons.