HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — The Texas prison system is looking to make conditions a bit more bearable at some state lockups by installing cooling systems similar to those seen on the sidelines of football games.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is facing numerous lawsuits alleging triple-digit temperature readings inside prison buildings are improperly cruel punishment and have led to inmates’ deaths.

Officials say the new cooling devices are “just something we thought we would try,” not a response to the lawsuits.

The 28 Cool-Space evaporative coolers are being installed in metal dormitory buildings at seven prison units.

The equipment employs a large fan inside about a 6-foot-by-6-foot box. Water from a hose behind the $1,800 device flows over coils that cool the air pushed by the fan. Similar devices are used at athletic events, although those often blow a mist, too.

The Texas prison system is the nation’s most populous, housing about 150,000 inmates in 109 units.

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