More than 2,000 inmates and correctional staff at two Iowa prisons are spending another hot summer without air conditioning after lawmakers declined to fund cooling projects yet again during this year’s legislative session. The Iowa Department of Corrections requested $8.1 million to install air conditioning at the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility and the Anamosa State Penitentiary, but the funding was not approved for the fifteenth year in a row now.
Correctional officers say the excessive heat affect both staff and inmate safety, and Iowa’s Office of Ombudsman continues to receive complaints from inmates about the hot temps—with highs in the 90s and “real-feel” heat index values reaching over a 100 degrees. Hot weather has been linked to increased irritability, aggression, and violence.
Governor Kim Reynolds included funding for the projects in her proposed budget, but lawmakers did not approve it.
With about $7.7 million available from the sale of surplus prison farmland after completing other construction projects, the Iowa Department of Corrections has not said whether that money could be used for air conditioning.