Nearly a month into a stifling heat wave, corrections officials are attempting to alleviate sweltering conditions in Florida鈥檚 unairconditioned prisons, but advocates for inmates say the efforts fall short and aren鈥檛 being carried out the same way at all facilities.
Throughout July, inmates鈥� supporters pressed the Department of Corrections to take steps to offer some relief to the roughly 85,000 people locked up in prisons.
Last week, advocates scored a victory when department officials agreed to allow inmates to wear shorts and T-shirts instead of the mandated standard 鈥淐lass A鈥� clothing 鈥� undershirts, dress shirts, underwear, long pants, socks and shoes or boots 鈥� for most of the day.
Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Chairwoman Jennifer Bradley, a Republican whose sprawling North Florida district includes a number of prisons, said she has worked for weeks with Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon to find ways to mitigate the effects of what has been record-breaking heat in some areas of the state.
鈥淭his is something that has been an issue for many, many years. But this summer has been really unprecedented, unrelenting. I hear from (inmates鈥�) loved ones, but more importantly, I visit prisons and when I go and visit, it is just oppressive,鈥� Bradley, R-Fleming Island, told The News Service of Florida this week, adding that the state has 鈥渁n aging prison population鈥� that also will have to be addressed in the future.
Many prisons are decades old 鈥� as an example, Union Correctional Institution, which is in Bradley鈥檚 district, has been operating since 1913 鈥� and installing air conditioning in all facilities would be expensive and take years to complete. Also, some aging facilities don鈥檛 have infrastructure that can be retrofitted for modern cooling systems.
Temperatures inside buildings without air conditioning can soar 15 degrees higher than the temperature outside. That means temperatures over 100 degrees last month put the thermometer above 115 inside prisons in some regions.
Dixon late last week 鈥渢emporarily lifted uniform restrictions鈥� to permit inmates to wear shorts and T-shirts, or 鈥淐lass C鈥� uniforms, Department of Corrections spokesman Paul Walker confirmed.
Bradley praised Dixon鈥檚 move.
鈥淭here was a free solution out there, and that was to allow inmates to wear shorts and T-shirts, to just change the uniform requirements, so that they weren鈥檛 wearing long pants and multiple layers on top 鈥� So really it was a change in policy that was no cost to DOC (the Department of Corrections),鈥� Bradley said. 鈥淒oes it get us where we need to be? No. But it is a really good, great, first step by DOC. Absolutely.鈥�
But Denise Rock, executive director of Florida Cares Charity Corp., said not all inmates are being allowed to shed extra layers. As she fields hundreds of messages from inmates鈥� loved ones expressing concern about the heat and reporting conditions at facilities, Rock said not all prisons are following Dixon鈥檚 directive.
鈥淚t just seems to be wildly all over the place, not any consistency with institutions. So we still are continuing to go back and forth to try and get some consistency,鈥� Rock told the News Service. 鈥淚 believe that the administration up in Tallahassee, I believe they get it. But the boots on the ground, those officers, they don鈥檛.鈥�
Rock鈥檚 group for weeks pleaded with corrections officials to relax the uniform standards. But she鈥檚 also asking them to reduce indoor temperatures by turning off lights during the day, boosting the number of fans in common living areas and providing access to showers throughout the day.
When asked about mitigation measures, department spokesman Walker said the agency has 鈥渁ir-conditioned housing units serving the most vulnerable inmate populations, including the infirmed, mentally ill, pregnant and geriatric.鈥�
Day-use areas, including chapels, medical facilities and administration offices, are equipped with air conditioning, Walker added. Institutions also are audited and comply with federal standards.
Some prisons built before air conditioning was common 鈥渨ere instead designed to facilitate airflow to provide natural cooling within them,鈥� according to Walker.
鈥淎ll non-air-conditioned dorms use some form of climate control to mitigate heat, such as fans or exhaust systems, which create a high level of air exchange to cool the building. These housing units also incorporate other fans, such as a ceiling or wall-mounted circulation fans. In addition, all housing units contain refrigerated water fountains to provide a source of cool water for the inmate population,鈥� he said.
The department did not respond to several requests for Dixon鈥檚 memo about the uniform standards. Rock is pressing corrections officials to be more open about what they鈥檙e doing to address the heat.
鈥淲e could handle this so much better if DOC would be transparent and just share the memo,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o we all know what should be done, and then when a warden isn鈥檛 doing it, or the officer isn鈥檛 doing it on the institutional level, somebody can share. Why does it have to be a big secret?鈥�
Meanwhile, Bradley said corrections officials also pledged to provide inmates 鈥済reater access to cold water鈥� as the heat persists.
鈥淭hese are things that we should be able, as a state, to provide 鈥� cold water, cool uniforms. These are things, short of AC, that do make a difference,鈥� she said.
Bradley said she鈥檚 continuing to work with corrections officials to explore other mitigation efforts, such as providing more shade around outdoor pavilions and using misting fans.
Cynthia Cooper said her husband, Vohn, was in confinement last week in a small cell with no windows and no ventilation at Tomoka Correctional Institution in Volusia County. Four 鈥渕edium-sized鈥� wall fans and a large exhaust fan were inadequate to cool a common area, she said.
鈥淩ight now, it鈥檚 97 degrees where I鈥檓 at. So if it鈥檚 97 degrees outside, you have to add 15 degrees to that inside that dorm. There鈥檚 80 men in that dorm. It鈥檚 just ridiculous,鈥� she told the News Service.
Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood, also has visited numerous prisons and receives messages from inmates鈥� loved ones about conditions at the facilities.
Pizzo said he relayed concerns posted on social media to corrections officials. Speaking to the News Service, he rattled off a number of issues at institutions throughout the state, including a broken water line at one facility that led prison staff to provide bottled water to inmates.
鈥淲e have really old, dilapidated, inefficient structures and plants and operations that need to be replaced,鈥� Pizzo said.
Copyright 2023 WFSU. To see more, visit . 9(MDAyNDY5MjM1MDEyODE2MzMyMTZmZDQwMg001))
