Cruel and Unusual

The Eighth Amendment to the U.S Constitution prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments. The Supreme Court ruled that the Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause applies to the states as well. 

I find it very interesting that even with this constitutional amendment prisons in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, have no air conditioning in them.  In Texas alone there are one hundred and twelve prisons and only nineteen of them are air conditioned and are only used for inmates that are sick and mentally ill.

I chose to write about this because my feelings about it are so conflicted. 

My first feeling is what a horrible way to spend any amount of time.  These people are already paying for whatever it is they did and while they don't deserve to be treated like royalty they certainly don't deserve to risk dying of heat stroke every day of the summer.

The other thought I have is these men and women who are having to deal with the summer heat in prison did this to themselves.  Why should my tax dollars go to helping these criminals lead a comfortable sentence for whatever it is they did.

I'll also point out that the there are men and women working in these prisons that don't deserve to have to work in a sauna all summer long. 

An article published in 2009 from the Houston Chronicle titled, Texas Inmates Forced to Sweat It Out, made me realize that  I don't need to feel bad about the prisons not having air conditioning.  State Senator John Whitmire said that this is "part of the reality of going to prison" and I feel like I agree with that.