Advocates raise awareness of extreme temperatures in Texas prisons

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Texas Prison Community Advocates (TPCA) are raising awareness over prison conditions in Texas and making a big plea as the summer weather begins to arrive.

“I can’t keep my dog in these conditions," said Amite Dominick, Director of TPCA. "I can’t do that. Why is it okay to treat a human being like that?”

Advocates visited the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where students got into a mock prison cell.

In a mock cell, temperatures can rise to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, replicating conditions that many inmates deal with in prison.

“When you go in there, you find out you can't breathe," Dominick said. "You hear about people having to flood their toilets just so they can cool off."

Mark Anthony Vazquez has dealt with these issues first-hand when he served time.

“About 70 percent of Texas prisons don’t have temperature control, which means that temperatures get up into the triple digits," Vazquez said.

He also says he has family members going through it right now.

“The strain it has in our community, the strain with our employment and people that they work with and strain with sons and daughters," he added.

The group aims to showcase the harsh realities of prison life by informing and telling students and community members so they can advocate for reform.

Students like Javier Ornelas, a junior at UTRGV, got the chance to experience the heat.

“Those 110 [degrees] conditions are no joke," Ornelas said. "You can’t even breathe in there. Imagine being there for days straight and just trying to take a breath. You are automatically going to forget about breathing.”

Erica Vazquez also experienced the mock prison cell.

“There was still some air going through some of the cracks, so being able to just think about how many of them do not even have that I cannot even imagine what its like," Vazquez said.

The group has filed several bills in the Texas Legislature and is in contact with Terry Canales, Texas State Representative for District 40.

One of their main initiatives is the “85 to Stay Alive” Bill, which would call for Texas prisons to have an 85-degree heat index to prevent dehydration and deaths.

“This is not just about comfort. My thermostat is kept around 70 degrees, which is comfort. 85 is [still] hot," Dominick said.

Vasquez says if nothing is done, then another prisoner can succumb to the heat this summer.

“This summer is coming right around the corner, its going to happen again," Vasquez said. "This is something that happens every year and it has been happening legislative year after legislative year.”

The regular session of the Texas Legislative session is underway and will run through June 2, 2025.