AUSTIN, Texas — Advocates with a campaign devoted to maintaining livable temperatures in Texas prisons held a rally at the University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday afternoon.
The "85 to Stay Alive" campaign set up a mock prison cell for people to experience conditions similar to those in prisons without proper air conditioning during the summer months.
Roughly 70% of Texas's 100 prisons don't have air conditioning in most living areas, according to a report by The Texas Tribune.
Activist Chivas Watson, who was formerly incarcerated, said getting a maximum temperature of 85 degrees in Texas prison cells has the potential to save countless lives.
"We're trying to get legislators to keep the A/C at 85. That's a reasonable accommodation. That's a reasonable agreement," Watson said. "Animals are treated way better than people inside the Texas Department of Criminal Justice."
In addition to the mock cell, the event also featured different speakers and offered information on various aspects of conditions inside prisons.