Protest hits profit gouging in Texas prisons: Roll back water prices now!
www.workers.org
According to a 2022 USA Today investigation, at least 44 states lack universal air conditioning in their prison facilities. Across the South, including in Texas, there is no air conditioning in all prisons. This makes clean water a necessity for life.
Some Texas prisons are so old — and that includes their plumbing systems — they were built to accommodate the convict-leasing system implemented after the 1861-65 U.S. Civil War. All these older prisons should just be shut down.
The Aug. 19 protest was organized by the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement. The group will also be speaking before the prison system’s board meeting on Aug. 25 regarding the heat crisis and lack of air conditioning, as well as demanding that bottled water be given out for free during this crisis. The Texas legislature has a surplus budget and can well afford to give out free water and install air conditioning for all of the over 120,000 prisoners.