When Larry McCollum, a 58-year-old convicted of forgery, arrived at the Hutchins state jail in Dallas, Texas, his fellow inmates reportedly told him, “Welcome to hell.”
After spending just three days in the facility, McCollum, who was overweight and had hypertension, collapsed and had a seizure. The facility had no air conditioning, and had been experiencing weather with multiple days above 100 degrees.
At the hospital, the 58-year-old’s body temperature was measured at 109.8 degrees, and he fell into a coma, before dying a week later in July of 2011. His family sued the state prison system, blaming the excessive heat and poor conditions for his death.
