×
You've used up your 3 free articles for this month. Subscribe today.
Texas Winter Storm Freezes Plumbing, Power and Prisoners
by Matt Clarke
On February 14, 2021, a winter storm with temperatures far below freezing swept through Texas causing an unprepared electrical grid to falter and resulting in at least 57 deaths. The storm caused widespread power outages and rolling blackouts. The frigid temperatures and lack of power also caused ...
Full article and associated cases available to subscribers.
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
More from this issue:
- Jail Suicides in Massachusetts Point to National Crisis: Challenging Legislatures to Say Not One More, by Jennifer Honig
- Government Refuses to Follow Federal Court’s Discovery Order After Being Caught Recording Attorney Meetings with Prisoners at Leavenworth, by Dale Chappell
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Mississippi Joins Illinois and Few Other States Prioritizing Vaccination of State Prisoners to Slow Spread of COVID-19, by Derek Gilna
- Pandemic Medical Update: “Herd Immunity” at Prisons?, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Texas Winter Storm Freezes Plumbing, Power and Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Massachusetts Governor Ends Good Time Offer for Prisoners Taking COVID-19 Vaccine, by David Reutter
- Connecticut Lawmakers Refuse to Address Corrections Issues During Pandemic, by Anthony Accurso
- Confidential Settlement in Case Involving Alleged Pattern of Racist Misconduct in Michigan Prisons, by Casey Bastian
- California Trans Women Struggle For Protection Under Prison Rape Elimination Act, by Edward Lyon
- Oklahoma Prisoners Call for Better Nutrition, by Kevin Bliss
- Florida Jail Administrators Fired After Woman Gives Birth in Cell, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Holiday Cards for Prisoners: Let’s End Collective Punishment in U.S. Prisons, by Sandy Rozek
- Virginia Settles Two Lawsuits Over Misuse of Solitary Confinement, by Daniel A. Rosen
- COVID-19 Inspired Ban on Prison Visits in Texas Ends, by Chad Marks
- Activist, Political Prisoner, and Journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal Diagnosed With COVID-19, Energizing Calls for His Release, by Juliette LaMarr
- COVID-19 Pandemic Makes Job Hunting Especially Difficult for Ex-Offenders, by Kevin Bliss
- U.S. Sues Alabama Over Prison Conditions, by David Reutter
- Florida Prison Guard Indicted in Prisoner Death by Blunt Force Trauma, by David Reutter
- Michigan Begins Video Visits During Coronavirus Pandemic, by David Reutter
- Hawaii Fails to Provide Video of Two Prison Disturbances, by Edward Lyon
- California Prison Factories Fined For Exposing Unwitting Workers to COVID-19, by Mark Wilson
- Sixth Circuit Upholds Prisoner’s 18 U.S.C. § 111 Conviction for Assaulting Federally Contracted Private Prison Guard, by Matthew Clarke
- "Conservative New York County Enacts Progressive Transgender Prisoner Policy", by Mark Wilson
- COVID-19 Depletes State Prison Staffs Nationwide, Forcing Consolidation of Facilities and Increasing Risk to All, by Derek Gilna
- After 36 Years in a Louisiana Prison for a Rape He Didn’t Commit, Archie Williams Wins Freedom — and a TV Show Spotlight, by Casey Bastian
- COVID-19 Continues Rampage Through Pennsylvania State Prisons, by Derek Gilna
- $105,000 Settlement in Wisconsin Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim, by David Reutter
- Alabama Jails and Prisoners Swamped With COVID-Related Problems, by Daniel A. Rosen
- How States Exclude People With Criminal Records From Jury Service, by Dale Chappell
- Study Shows Misaligned Economic Incentives Fuel Mass Incarceration, by Matthew Clarke
- California Enacts Legislation Strengthening Protections for LGBTQ Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Baltimore Demolishes Maryland’s Oldest Penitentiary, Burying Its Nostalgia And Nightmares, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
- Books: “Let The Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty”, by Robert Dunham
- Florida Senator Wants to Keep Ex-Prisoners from Earning the $15 Minimum Wage Increase, by Kevin Bliss
- Former Prisoner Becomes Activist for LBGTQ Rights in California Prisons
- Parnall Correctional Facility in Michigan Copes with Scabies Outbreak, by Kevin Bliss
- Fourth Circuit: Deaf North Carolina Prisoner Should be Allowed Direct Videophone Calls to Communicate with Deaf Community, by David Reutter
- People in jails are using more phone minutes during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite decreased jail populations, by Andrea Fenster
- Ransomware Attack on GEO Group Exposes Sensitive Information, by Matthew Clarke
- Hundreds of Virginia Inmates Await Parole Consideration Under New Law, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Colorado’s Governor Bows to Pressure in Denying State Prisoners Priority COVID-19 Vaccinations, by Derek Gilna
- More Than 40 Immigrants Have Died in ICE Custody, by Anthony Accurso
- Experts Divided on Drug Court Effectiveness, by Kevin Bliss
- Secrecy Surrounded Flurry of Late-Term Federal Executions Under Donald Trump, by Derek Gilna
- New Advocacy Group for New Mexico Prisoners Created, by Dale Chappell
- Vermont Prisoner’s Death Under Investigation: Did Implicit Bias Play Role?, by Kevin Bliss
- News in Brief
More from Matthew Clarke:
- DOJ Finds “Horrific and Inhumane” Conditions in Georgia Prisons, March 1, 2025
- Sixth Circuit Upholds $6.4 Million Jury Award Against Corizon Nurses For Michigan Jail Prisoner’s Fatal Alcohol Withdrawal, March 1, 2025
- En Banc Fifth Circuit Reverses Panel, Holds Mississippi Felon Disenfranchisement Does Not Violate Eighth Amendment, March 1, 2025
- USDC (D. Oregon), Case No. 6:22-cv-00451, Feb. 15, 2025
- Legal Gaffe Prolongs Case of Former St. Louis Detainee Held Eight Months After Dismissal of Charges, Feb. 15, 2025
- Among World Nations, Individual U.S. States Near Top of List for Per Capita Incarceration, Feb. 15, 2025
- DOJ Settles Complaints About Conditions for Disabled Detroit Jail Detainees, Feb. 15, 2025
- New York Prison Officials Found Routinely Violating HALT Act With Overuse of Solitary Confinement, Feb. 15, 2025
- Historic $7 Million Settlement in Lawsuit Over Michigan Jail Prisoner’s Fatal Beating, Feb. 15, 2025
- Suits Filed Over Dehydration Deaths at Two Texas Jails, Jan. 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- “We Killed Him”: Alabama Jailers Cut Plea Deals After Detainee Freezes to Death, Sept. 15, 2024. Exposure to Cold, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Georgia Prisoner’s Challenge to “Deplorable” Conditions Survives Motion to Dismiss, June 1, 2024. Plumbing, Sanitation, Vermin, Supervisory Liability, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
- $500,000 Settlement for Colorado Prisoner Forced to Defecate in Bucket for 12 Days, May 1, 2024. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Exposure to Cold, Toilets, Water, Sanitation, Strip Cells, Hygiene Supplies, Restraints.
- Nearly $11 Million Settlement Reached in Suit by BOP Prisoners Held Without Heat, Electricity During New York Winter Storm, March 1, 2024. Exposure to Cold, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Class Actions.
- “Fuck Him, He Can Freeze”: Pennsylvania Detainee’s Death Detailed in Suit Against PrimeCare, Dec. 1, 2023. Exposure to Cold, Strip Cells, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Despite Prior Settlement Agreement, Sick Michigan Prisoners Still Forced to Wait for Medication in Cold and Rain, Oct. 15, 2023. Medication, Exposure to Cold, Settlements.
- “Frozen in Solitude’’: Heat-Sensitive Texas Prisoners Get More Than Air Conditioning Locked Inside Former Segregation Cells, Sept. 15, 2023. Exposure to Cold, Exposure to Heat, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
- Judge Dismisses Suit Filed by California Town to Keep State Prison Open, March 1, 2023. Environmental Law, Plumbing, Rural Prisons.
- Hypothermia Kills Prisoner in Cold Pennsylvania Jail Cell, One of 17 Deaths Since 2019, March 1, 2023. Exposure to Cold, Wrongful Death.
- Fulton County Jail Detainees Ended 2022 Freezing and Defecating in Trash Bags, Jan. 9, 2023. Exposure to Cold, Plumbing, Sewage, Sanitation.