Savannah Chrisley Says Mom Julie Has Become Physically Ill In Prison Due to “Beyond Inhumane” Living Conditions & Extreme Heat

Savannah Chrisley continues to advocate for her imprisoned parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, regarding the alleged “beyond inhumane” conditions they have been forced to endure while behind bars.

The former Chrisley Knows Best stars are currently serving prison time for tax evasion and fraud crimes– six years for Julie and 10 years for Todd, following the couple’s sentences being reduced in September. The pair are in the process of appealing their criminal convictions; last month, Julie’s prison sentence– NOT her conviction– was overturned by the appeals court and a judge has ordered that she be resentenced in District Court.

On this week’s episode of her Unlocked podcast, Savannah spoke about the latest visit she had with her mom at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Lexington in Kentucky, and how the extreme heat at the facility has taken a toll on Julie.

“ … In the visitation room, thank goodness there’s air conditioning, but outside the visitation room, there is zero air conditioning and the heat index was [between] 105 and 110 [degrees],” Savannah claimed. “And that’s what mom’s living in, in conditions like that with absolutely no air and it can be 100 degrees inside the building.

“She literally said that she got physically sick because she got so hot,” she continued. “So you have these women who are suffering from heat exhaustion and they’re passing out, but yet, you know, there are service dogs [at the same facility] that have air conditioning … none of it makes sense to me. It is so beyond inhumane … .”

Savannah said her mom’s excitement over something as simple as sitting in an air-conditioned room makes her realize how much people take for granted something so “normal.”  

“Unfortunately for these men and women it’s just not [normal] and that’s really tough to hear those struggles,” she said. “The whole prison system as a whole is so broken, not only at dad’s place, but at mom’s as well.” 

Savannah went on to read a letter that she allegedly received from a Marine Veteran and current inmate at FPC Pensacola– the minimum-security facility in Florida where Todd is also serving his prison sentence– detailing similar treatment regarding the conditions inmates are forced to live and work in while serving time. 

“ … This is what your taxpayer dollars are going to pay for,” she said after reading the letter. “It’s going to pay for abuse instead of rehabilitation. It’s going to pay for abuse instead of offering love to these individuals … .” Savannah– who was made the primary guardian of her younger siblings while their parents are behind bars– said she has received many other letters from inmates sharing their personal stories, which she claims she has “turned over to the proper people” in order to do what she can “to protect these men and women.” 

Savannah is certainly not the first person to speak out about how the relentless heat of prison facilities without air conditioning can be potentially life-threatening to prisoners. Over the last year or so, numerous news stations and media outlets have put a spotlight on the dangerous conditions of prisons without air conditioning, particularly in states like Texas and Arizona. (You can watch a report below to get an idea of what living inside one of these facilities is like in the summer.)

She also addressed the criticism she’s received from people who claim she only started to care about these type of issues after her own parents were imprisoned, insisting “that is not true at all.” She proceeded to explain how a personal experience of one of her lawyers, Brett Tolman, inspired him to pursue a career in the criminal justice system.

“I think I say that in hopes that you guys maybe give a little grace to me, to other people, who maybe get involved in things later on in life because something that triggered that feeling in them that they have to do more now that they know better,” she said. “When you know better, you do better.

“I hope you guys continue to follow along on this journey, because there are so many things that I look forward to doing and accomplishing now and when my parents get out of prison,” she added.

Watch Savannah’s latest podcast episode below.