Phoenix

Arizona Prison Heat Crisis Spurs Multi-Year Air Conditioning Overhaul Effort

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Published on July 14, 2024
Arizona Prison Heat Crisis Spurs Multi-Year Air Conditioning Overhaul EffortSource: Unsplash/Larry Farr

Temperatures within Arizona state prisons have been hitting critical levels, with some cells registering as high as 95 degrees this summer. This condition has raised significant alarm for incarcerated individuals and their families, prompting a strenuous renovation schedule to implement air conditioning across facilities. As reported by ABC15, the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR) has disclosed that they are working on adding AC to units that currently only rely on swamp coolers. This overhaul, however, is expected to be a multi-year endeavor due to cost, resource, and supply chain challenges.

ADCRR's Director Ryan Thornell has been pressured to accelerate the HVAC conversion plan amidst the sweltering conditions. Despite acknowledging the urgency, Thornell conveyed his constraints in a recent interview. "My comfort level is really not what drives that," Thornell admitted, pointing to the fact that it's the available resources and realism of project timelines that dictate the pace of these upgrades. Expediting the process is hampered by factors including tight funding, contractor availability, and supply chain issues, leaving little room for maneuver despite the mounting health concerns spurred by the oppressive heat within the prisons. With at least seven inmates requiring heat-related treatment in June alone, the situation has become increasingly dire.

The concern about inmate welfare in the intense heat is shared by family and friends. In a statement obtained by 12News, Meg Stedman, whose daughter is currently at Perryville Women's Prison, stated, "I think it's cruel," and continued saying, "Let these women have some relief from this ungodly heat up there." Records unveiled by the I-Team demonstrated that last July, temperatures in some Perryville prison cells soared to 109 degrees. The ADCRR has been working on transitioning these units from evaporative cooling to air-conditioning systems, finishing the Lumley Unit but reportedly only 25 percent through the work required for the Santa Cruz Unit.

Efforts to mitigate the extreme temperatures have included the statewide enactment of a heat relief plan which encompasses misters, temperature-lenient dress codes, and the provision of free ice twice daily, as indicated by an ADCRR spokesperson. These measures are intended to provide temporary respite for inmates, while the larger conversion projects slowly progress. Governor Katie Hobbs has displayed confidence in the management of the crisis, stating, "Director Thornell takes this issue very seriously," as told to 12News. However, for relatives like Laura Seward, whose niece resides in the sweltering Santa Cruz Unit, the pace is unsatisfactory. "I don’t see anywhere in my niece’s sentence that she should be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment of temperatures and conditions that are unlivable," Seward expressed.

As the state encounters another blistering summer, the push towards a more humane environment in Arizona's prisons grows steadily in its fervor. With many cells yet to see the relief of air conditioning, the ADCRR faces the task of retrofitting aged buildings and managing a budget contingent on legislative approval, a process anticipated to extend into FY 2026. This long haul for climate control in prison cells, echoed by inmates' distressed communications and their loved ones' advocacy, underscores a pressing human rights issue that the heat of Arizona has brought to a punishing reality.