Claiming that even the prison in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , is air conditioned , prisoners in Texas have filed a federal lawsuit over soaring temperatures in state prisons that they say have killed at least 12 prisoners in the last three years . The suit , filed by the Texas Civil Rights Project and the University of Texas School of Law Civil Rights clinic on behalf of the prisoners , is n't seeking monetary damages . It seeks cooler temperatures for the prisoners . Eighty-eight degrees to be exact . The lawsuit , broadly concerned about the lack of air conditioning across state facilities , centers on a facility in Navasota , Texas , known as the Wallace Pack Unit . Located about 70 miles northwest of Houston , the facility houses about 1,400 men . As of January , the compliant said , 114 men over the age of 70 were housed there . They have no air conditioning , and the windows which do open provide little relief , the suit claims , leading to temperatures inside that often exceed those outside . And outside it 's hot . The suit cites internal data from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice which found that over the past three years the mercury topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit . `` Stainless steel tables in the inmate dormitories become hot to the touch '' the complaint reads and `` prisoners have to lay towels down on the table to rest their elbows while sitting . '' In addition to the older inmates , the complaint said a number of men have various underlying medical conditions that make them especially vulnerable to heat stroke , like 69-year-old Marvin Yates , who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hypertension . `` I do n't know if I will make it this summer . The heat and humidity are so bad inside I have trouble breathing , '' said Yates , one of three named plaintiffs , in a press release announcing the lawsuit . The lawsuit alleges some 20 deaths since 1998 and details names , ages and internal body temperatures of the victims , including cases where the body temperature recorded was well over 100 degrees . One man , 45-year-old Rodney Adams , died one day after his arrival . His internal temperature registered 109.9 . There is air conditioning in some parts of the facility . The law library , education building and visitation center all are equipped with air conditioning , according to the complaint , but the inmates are `` rarely allowed '' in these areas . The complaint also said that the warden 's office and other administrative buildings have air conditioning . County prisons also have air conditioning . Texas statute mandates those jails keep temperatures between 65 and 85 degrees inside , but the state system , according to the complaint , has no such requirement . The lawsuit alleges the conditions violate federal law and the inmate 's constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment . Men treated worse than pigs ? The lawsuit alleges that hogs on Texas Department of Criminal Justice property receive better treatment than the prisoners . `` TDCJ policy requires temperatures be kept no higher than 85 degrees to ensure 'pig comfort , ' '' the suit said , adding that the department begins `` to cool the pigs when the temperature goes above 74 degrees to keep the pigs 'comfortable . ' '' Jason Clark , a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice , said the department could n't comment on pending legislation . But he did spell out what the agency does to `` mitigate temperature extremes . '' The agency provides water and allows for additional showers `` when feasible . '' Clark also said the staff is trained to identify `` offenders susceptible to heat-related issues . '' Guards not immune . But according to the complaint the staff may also need to identify heat-related issues for one another , since they also have to go into the hot rooms of the prison . `` The correctional officer 's union has made numerous public requests for the prison housing areas to be air conditioned , '' the complaint said , detailing one female guard who suffered heat exhaustion and dehydration . The plaintiffs said the situation has led to the correctional officer 's union lending public support to the suit . Clark said the department does n't have the money to make changes , conceding `` a detailed cost analysis has not been done . ''
Prisoners do n't want monetary damages ; they want prisons cooled to 88 degrees . Lawsuit centers on facility located north of Houston that houses 1,400 men . Comment: Prison spokesman said department does what it can to `` mitigate temperature extremes ''