Originally Posted by Keith88

You would think native Texans would eventually get used to the heat. We really don't, there's no way to ever get used to 100+ temperatures. However, mid 90's isn't really hot to me personally. The inside of a metal building is much hotter than 100 degrees, take my word for it. I remember many days trying to sleep, and I couldn't because the sweat was rolling down my back constantly. Everyone in prison sleeps in their boxers, I wouldn't advise the "birthday suit" idea though. There are also plenty of elderly gentlemen in TDC units. They sweat with the rest of us. They also don't give you any kind of cup to hold water when your first get to prison. You have to wait about three weeks for any commissary money to clear. However, someone showed me how to make a cup out of an empty can using the bottom of a table. Before that I could only drink what I could hold in my hand. TDC doesn't take any of this in to consideration in the summer months. I was lucky, I was never sick during my time in prison. There are plenty of guys that don't get the medical attention they need. I've seen people die, it does happen.

Thanks Keith. It's nice to be able to get the perspective of someone that has been there. I think we all agree that prisoners are in prison because of things that they did and they are there to serve a punishment. A/C for the healthy can seem like a luxury but A/C for the elderly or ill could save their life. There are always more important things to discuss here than 99% of the things we DO discuss. I happen to believe that for some inmates lack of A/C can become a health risk and CAN die as a result. That was important enough to me to want to discuss it. There is no reason for me to doubt what my pen pal tells me on this issue. He simply said he was concerned for the older inmates because they are having a hard time with the heat and he has seen people die as a result. He wasn't trying to play the sympathy card or get me to send him money or anything other ulterior motive that has been speculated in this thread. It was simply a statement that I put out here for discussion. The options that we have to keep ourselves healthy is not always an option to them. Prisoners can't just pick up their cell phone and call for a delivery of Gatorade and I think we all know why sleeping in your "Birthday suit" isn't such a good idea.

Why people had to go to the lengths such as actually calling the prison overseas, long distance just to prove that someone must by lying is really beyond me. There is no reason for me to doubt what he is telling me and no reason for him to lie about it. I happened to feel concern. If that is seen in a negative light then I guess I really don't have a problem with that.

Not a problem. It's a really good topic "mountanddo" in my opinion. It was miserable, but I'm pretty healthy. I could handle the heat with no problem personally. I didn't enjoy it, and I was there to be punished for my repeated irresponsible actions. However, there are plenty of "old schools" there that aren't healthy. They get lost in the shuffle. It seems the only way to get noticed a lot of the time is to become a trouble maker unfortunately. The Walls (Huntsville) is a pretty good place to be, I was like six stories under ground. It was a lot cooler there. Well, if you don't mind ghosts, but that's a different topic all together....

Originally Posted by Keith88

You would think native Texans would eventually get used to the heat. We really don't, there's no way to ever get used to 100+ temperatures. However, mid 90's isn't really hot to me personally. The inside of a metal building is much hotter than 100 degrees, take my word for it. I remember many days trying to sleep, and I couldn't because the sweat was rolling down my back constantly. Everyone in prison sleeps in their boxers, I wouldn't advise the "birthday suit" idea though. There are also plenty of elderly gentlemen in TDC units. They sweat with the rest of us. They also don't give you any kind of cup to hold water when your first get to prison. You have to wait about three weeks for any commissary money to clear. However, someone showed me how to make a cup out of an empty can using the bottom of a table. Before that I could only drink what I could hold in my hand. TDC doesn't take any of this in to consideration in the summer months. I was lucky, I was never sick during my time in prison. There are plenty of guys that don't get the medical attention they need. I've seen people die, it does happen.

Not only does commissary take 3 weeks, also the ability to call family takes the same amount of time. They have the inmate go thru a voice recognition in an office with one person and a computer, which is located in staff recieving or administrative building ( that is air conditioned ).

They have 4 20 tons compressor ac units sitting on top to the metal buildings inmates are housed in but, they do not turn them on, only for the guards section.
Commissary line is choosen by civilians on contract to sell their items, also like those single pies you can buy in the stores outside prison, sometimes those pies that are outdated are given at lower cost for commissary at prisons.

Some inmates also keep a towel wet and hung behind the neck and down their backs to stay cool in the heat, and stay in slow motion unless, someone due to heat looses it starts fighting, which sometime's the guards just watch or they shoot canisters of gas CN/CS even in that heat...........