Wikimedia Commons / Robert Stringer
Citing a rise in drug-related homicides, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice put its 104 prisons under lockdown on Sept. 6.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, citing a rise in drug-related homicides within its 104 prisons, went into lockdown Sept. 6 so guards could search jail cells for illicit contraband. The move was criticized by prisoner-rights advocates who argue that inmates, many now confined to their cells 24/7, would be subjected to further extreme heat in their unconditioned quarters.
Although temperatures inside Texas state prisons have declined as summer transitions into fall, inmates, their families and advocates now say that those incarcerated are going hungry.
"It's terrible in the units that are locked down," Texas Prison Community Advocates Board Member Jessica Dickerson told Current in a text message Monday. "Most of the complaints we receive are about food."
During a lockdown, prisoners can only leave their cells three times weekly to shower. Since mess halls are closed, prisoners are given "Johnny sacks," bagged lunches usually comprised of inedible food, according to Dickerson.
In a statement emailed to the Current, TDCJ officials said they have provided three meals daily to prisoners during the lockdown, including one hot meal. They disputed claims from prisoners that online videos accurately depict the food made available.
Some Texas prisoners have posted videos of their sack lunches on a TikTok account called @tdcj_afterhrs. That account describes itself as "exposing the truth behind the walls."
"This is what they're giving us to eat for lockdown," an inmate at one Texas prison said in a TikTok clip. "Piece of cornbread with peanut butter and a boiled egg. Pray for your people."@tdcj_afterhrs #tdcj #tdcjinmate #tdcjfamily #tdcjprisonwife #tdcjtiktok #tdcjtiktok #prisontok #tdcjlockdown #fyp #fypシ #abcxyz #overwatchme #didyouyawn ♬ Locked Up - Lil Durk
In another video posted to the account, a prisoner shows what his cell block is being fed throughout the day. For breakfast, inmates received dry oatmeal and two unappetizing-looking pancakes. Lunch consisted of two pieces of white bread and an "unidentifiable" main course. For dinner, prisoners were provided a peanut butter sandwich.@tdcj_afterhrs Sharing from @Keri Blakinger #tdcj #tdcjinmate #tdcjfamily #tdcjprisonwife #tdcjtiktok #prisontok #tdcjlockdown #fyp #abcxyz #overwatchme #didyouyawn #prisonlife #fypシ #fypage #fypシ゚viral #lockedup #prisonwifetiktok #prisontiktok #prisonjourney #prison #prisoner #prisonstories #correctionalfacility #texas #texasprison #texasprisontalk #texasprisonsystem ♬ Still D.R.E. - Instrumental - Dr. Dre
In a separate video, an inmate housed at the Clemens Unit in Brazoria said prisoners there hadn't been fed since breakfast that day even though it was 7:30 p.m. at the time the video was created. State officials have said in comments to other news media that prisoners are being fed three times daily.@tdcj_afterhrs #tdcj #tdcjinmate #tdcjfamily #tdcjprisonwife #tdcjtiktok #prisontok #tdcjlockdown #inhumane #fyp #fypシ #abcxyz #overwatchme #didyouyawn ♬ Locked Up - Akon
In TDCJ's statement, spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez denied that the clips represent food supplied to inmates.
"TDCJ has staff across the state monitoring the quality and quantity of food," Hernandez said. "During the lockdown, meals are provided three times a day, with one of the meals being a hot meal. Additionally, TDCJ is adding items from the commissary to the sack meals twice a week. Example of these include electrolytes, chips, peppermints, etc."
The lockdown came as the TDCJ faced increased scrutiny following a sweltering summer, where at least as 41 Texas prisoners died in their un-air conditioned units due to heat-related illness, in an analysis by the Texas Tribune.
In an emailed statement to the Current last week, TDCJ Communications Director Amanda Hernandez said the agency hasn't recorded a heat-related death in its prisons since 2012.
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