More than 2,000 inmates and correctional staff at two Iowa prisons are spending another summer without air conditioning after lawmakers declined to fund cooling projects during this year’s legislative session. The Iowa Department of Corrections had requested $8.1 million to install air conditioning at the Anamosa State Penitentiary and the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility, but the funding was not approved.
Iowa’s Office of Ombudsman continues to receive complaints from inmates about excessive heat, while correctional officers say the conditions affect both staff and inmate safety.
Governor Kim Reynolds included funding for the projects in her proposed budget, but lawmakers ultimately did not approve it.
The Department of Corrections now has about $7.7 million available from the sale of surplus prison farmland after completing other construction projects. Agency leaders have not said whether that money could be used for air conditioning.
