Prisoners are experiencing harsher-than-usual conditions at a federal penitentiary in Indiana after losing air-conditioning last month.
Officials say one of the chillers supplying air to the United States Penitentiary-Terre Haute experienced a catastrophic failure early July 27.
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The breakdown affects buildings that hold more than 1,000 prisoners, including everyone in the “Special Confinement Unit,” or federal death row.
Outside temperatures have reached into the 90s since the outage began.
According to messages from two prisoners serving death sentences, temperatures have been uncomfortably high in their section of the facility.
Staff at the high-security prison “are working on trying to fix it or put something in place to make it cooler, but it's been HOT the last few day when the temps was up,” Julius Robinson, a prisoner on death row, wrote in a message Thursday.
“It's less hot it here today, but (that) might have something to do with the unseasonably low temperature today,” another prisoner, James Roane, said Wednesday.
U.S. prison officials say temperatures are being monitored throughout the facility and remain at acceptable levels as they carry out repairs.
"Institution employees and contractors are working together to install a temporary replacement chiller," which was expected to be completed by the end of the day Thursday, an emailed statement from the U.S. prison bureau said.
"In the meantime, temperatures are being monitored throughout the facility and remain at acceptable levels," the statement said.
The second air chiller continues to function as intended without problems, it said.
The statement added that the prison had alternative means of remaining cool in hotter weather, such as ceiling fans or industrial fans.
While there is no upper heat limit at U.S. correctional facilities, the prison bureau's operations manual instructs staff to aim for about 76 degrees in the summer.
"However, due to issues such as the age of the cooling and heating systems and the inability to control temperatures in individual spaces, occupants may experience a range of temperatures in their space that is a few degrees on either side of the targeted set point," it says.
