Inmates In St. Louis Jail Without Air Conditioning Heard Screaming For Relief From Dangerous Heat

Inmates at a 50-year-old St. Louis jail without air conditioning were recorded screaming for relief from the dangerous heat, as temperatures in the city reached the triple digits, KTVI (St. Louis) is reporting.

The Medium Security Institution on the city’s north side was built in 1966, back when air conditioning was still considered something of a luxury. There have been some improvements over the years; the women’s section of the facility is air-conditioned. But for the men, and for the corrections officers who supervise them, they have no choice but to put up with it. They have little more than windows and fans to keep them cool. They’re given ice water and juice, for what it’s worth, says a spokesperson for Mayor Lyda Krewson.

Friends and family of inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial and haven’t been convicted of any crimes, say that’s not enough.

One woman, who asked not to be identified, said the temperature in her grandson’s cell was 109 degrees (a claim that couldn’t be independently verified). She used the word “inhumane” to describe conditions in the facility.

KTVI reporter Elliott Davis asked for a tour of the facility and the chance to talk to inmates. That request was denied. Instead, he stood outside the facility and recorded the inmates screaming for mercy – that is, until he was told to leave.

Missouri State Rep Joshua Peters was able to get a tour of the jail, back in March, when it wasn’t so hot. Even then, he was concerned about conditions at the institution, according to AOL News.

“I’m not saying this has to be the Ritz Carlton, that`s not what I’m saying, but what I am saying we have a mandate to not imprison people in a cruel and unusual manner.”

However, the money to retrofit the 50-year-old jail isn’t going to show up in the city’s budget any time soon. About all the city can do, says Mayor Krewson, is to reduce the amount of time inmates have to spend there.

“The goal will certainly be to remove people more quickly, the main reason is its more just, if you’re not convicted then you’re free to go, if you are you’re free to go to the state, so it is a goal is to reduce the amount of people that are there.”

Meanwhile, the not-for-profit group Arch City Defenders has been raising money to try to make bail for lower-level offenders, so they can get out.

St. Louis’ Medium Security Institution is not the only Missouri jail that’s been called “inhumane” for its lack of climate control. The 140-year-old jail in Iron County, in the southeast portion of the Show Me State, has been called a “dungeon” by none other than the Sheriff who manages it, Roger Medley.

The ancient limestone walls of the jail absorb so much heat that the jail is not unlike a kiln, said a 2014 St. Louis Post-Dispatch report. However, Iron County, like St. Louis, doesn’t have the money for jail improvements, and taxpayers aren’t exactly excited about footing the bill for the cost.

Do you believe it’s inhumane to house prisoners without air conditioning? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

[Featured Image by Gatsi/Thinkstock]