By Denise Blaz
Abilene Reporter-News
TAYLOR COUNTY, Texas — While Abilene residents are bearing the hot weather by grabbing snow cones or downing cold beverages, inmates at the Taylor County Jail are keeping cool with frequent water breaks and sitting in their 70-degree jail cells.
“Yes, the jail is air-conditioned,” said Sgt. John Cummins, spokesman for the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office.
Under state standards, Cummins said the jail is required to be kept at 65 to 85 degrees at all times.
Jail administrators keep the thermostat at a constant 70 degrees during the hot summer months.
Work crews, who are out four days per week, have been doing most of their outdoor work, which involves lawn care, in the mornings, he said.
“Plenty of water and frequent breaks are given if they’re working outside later in the day,” Cummins said about the work crews. “The officers are all very conscientious about making sure the inmates don’t get too hot.”
The frequent water breaks are done for a reason: to keep inmates from suffering heat-related illnesses.
Even though the county has not had instances where inmates have suffered heat-related deaths, inmates at state prisons have.
This week a wrongfuldeath lawsuit was filed in federal court by the Texas Civil Rights Proj-
See AIR CONDITIONING, 8A
ect against state prison officials on behalf of a deceased inmate’s family. The family of Larry Gene McCollum say heat stroke contributed to their loved one’s death at age 58 while he was serving time at Hutchins State Jail in Dallas during the summer of 2011.
Similar lawsuits are pending against the state.
Jason Clark, spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said that out of the 111 state prisons, 21 are fully air-conditioned, while 90 are partially air-conditioned.
Abilene prisons - Middleton and French Robertson units - are partially air-conditioned, he said.
Medical, psychiatric and geriatric areas of the units, he said, are fully air-conditioned.
Clark said his database does not include a breakdown on where heat-related illnesses have occurred, but since Jan. 1 to Tuesday, 16 offenders around the state have reported heat-related illnesses.
So far this year, no heat-related deaths have occurred, he said.
“TDCJ takes precautions to help reduce heatrelated illnesses, such as providing prisoners access to fans, restricting activity during the hottest parts of the day, providing water and ice in work and housing areas, and training staff to identify and treat those with heat-related illnesses,” Clark said.
“The agency is committed to making sure that all are safe during the extreme heat.”
TDCJ takes precautions to help reduce heat-related illnesses, such as providing prisoners access to fans, restricting activity during the hottest parts of the day, providing water and ice in work and housing areas, and training staff to identify and treat those with heat-related illnesses.”
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