Justice for Bernie 2024

We are launching this page in an effort to raise legal funds for Bernie Tiede, an inmate in the TDCJ Estelle maximum-security unit in Huntsville, Texas. Bernie is being kept in unsafe and inhumane conditions at this facility, which has compounded his already severe medical conditions. We hope to raise funds to improve the living conditions of not just Bernie but every Texas inmate being kept in units without air conditioning during the brutal Texas summers. With these cells reaching close to 122 degrees during the summer, Texas prisons are playing with inmates’ lives. With your help we can ensure that those serving punishment for crimes committed are not treated in cruel and unusual ways, as is their constitutional right.

Who is Bernie Tiede?

Bernie Tiede is the subject of the 2011 motion picture Bernie, directed by Richard Linklater. A beloved community figure in the town of Carthage, Texas, Bernie found himself at the center of a scandalous murder investigation. Mr. Tiede was convicted and sentenced for those crimes and has diligently served his time since. Bernie has continuously sought to seek justice from a system that has failed him time and time again, briefly being released in 2014 for two years until he was returned to confinement.

Bernie has recently suffered several health complications. Already diagnosed with Type-2 Diabetes, Bernie had what physicians believe to be a brain stem stroke and was moved to an air-conditioned wing to recuperate. Breaking with physicians’ recommendations as well as a federal court ruling, the state fervently fought to return Mr. Tiede to his 100+ degree cell block. Being kept in such conditions would have worsened his health considerably. Tiede’s legal defense was able to prevent the State of Texas from carrying out its unofficial death sentence, but the fight is far from over.

What Needs To Change?

Here are several facts about the Texas Prison System:

Only 30% of Texas' 100 prison units are fully air-conditioned, according to a study by Texas A&M.

Over 120,000 Texas inmates are held in units without full air-conditioning.

Texas is among 13 US states without universal air conditioning.

Simply put, these conditions are unacceptable. The National Weather Service lists temperatures between 103 and 124 degrees to be dangerous in accordance with their heat index. Human beings kept in such conditions begin to suffer from the effects of heat stroke when their body temperature reaches or exceeds 106 degrees. Heat stroke is a serious medical emergency that happens when the body is unable to regulate its temperature. If left untreated, it can cause organ damage and death. This is a punishment the State sees fit to inflict on any inmate regardless of age, gender, or severity of crime.

This is unjust and it disgraces our institutions to treat human beings this way. Housing prisoners without proper air-conditioning stands in direct contradiction to the rights our founding fathers established when building our nation. In particular, that no citizen shall be subjected to punishment deemed cruel or unusual. In an effort to avoid the costs of installing basic amenities, Texas prisons have subjected men and women to torturous conditions. We aim to seek institutional reform and create a system that is designed to rehabilitate prisoners, not torture them.

What Can We Do?

By donating as little as a dollar to this campaign, you will be directly supporting the fight to reform Texas prisons. Bernie is emblematic of a demographic that has suffered in silence for far too long. With your help, we will change that. Become a part of the change you want to see in the world.

We can believe in ourselves, when we can believe that there can be truth and justice for Bernie in the here and now.

Not later.

Let’s get Bernie home where he belongs.

Right now.

Thank you for your time,

Legal Team of Bernie Tiede