The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has submitted a budget request to the state Legislature seeking $298 million over the next two years to install air conditioning in its facilities, according to reporting by feeds.texastribune.org. The funding aims to address persistent heat conditions that have drawn legal scrutiny and criticism from inmate advocates.
Why It Matters
The request highlights the ongoing tension between state fiscal priorities and constitutional obligations regarding prison conditions. With nearly two-thirds of Texas’ 104 prisons lacking full air conditioning, the funding gap remains a central issue in a federal lawsuit alleging unconstitutional heat exposure for inmates.
What Happened
TDCJ requested $298 million from the Legislature to add more than 15,700 air-conditioned beds. Agency officials stated the request would deliver “significant and measurable progress” against dangerous summer heat. The current ask is more than double what TDCJ sought and received in the last legislative session.
Inmate advocates characterized the budget request as evidence of “deliberate indifference,” estimating that $1.5 billion is required to fully correct prison heat conditions. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman found prison heat conditions “plainly unconstitutional” during a two-week trial earlier this year. It remains unclear when Judge Pitman will issue his ruling on whether to order Texas to cool prisons.
Both sides in the lawsuit submitted post-trial legal briefs. TDCJ filed a June court document outlining a two-phase plan to install AC at all prisons. The brief stated TDCJ anticipates obligating $774 million in the 2028-29 budget and $730.7 million in the following two years.
By the Numbers
$298 million — Amount requested for AC over the next two years
More than 15,700 — Number of air-conditioned beds to be added via the current request
$1.5 billion — Estimated cost to fully correct deadly heat conditions, per inmate advocates
Nearly two-thirds — Proportion of Texas prisons not fully air conditioned
104 — Total number of Texas prisons
10 — Number of inmate deaths alleged from heat-related reasons between 2023 and 2025
Zoom Out
The lawsuit alleged at least 10 inmates died from heat-related reasons between 2023 and 2025. TDCJ disputes the death toll, attributing deaths to drug overdoses or other medical conditions. Plaintiff attorney Erica Grossman called the situation “more deliberate indifference” and seeks a court order forcing Texas to air condition its entire prison system by the end of 2029.
TDCJ cited rural locations, facility age, contraband search delays, and data center construction demand as obstacles to cooling. Republican leaders instructed state agencies to cut 3% from budget requests to fund priorities like property tax cuts. TDCJ stated this instruction amounts to around $287 million in cuts.
Bills requiring climate-controlled state prisons have repeatedly failed in the Texas Legislature. The Legislature declined to use budget surpluses for retrofitting in recent sessions. Lawmakers allocated $85 million in 2023 and $118 million the following session for around 29,000 cool beds. The Legislature gave TDCJ more than $400 million in 2025 for AC expansion dorms and buying an existing lockup with climate control.
What’s Next
TDCJ requested $591.8 million to build expansion dorms with climate control. Combined requests would add more than 21,000 cool beds if approved. Current TDCJ Executive Director Bobby Lumpkin stated the agency must be “good fiscal stewards.” Former TDCJ Executive Director Bryan Collier retired last year.