Prison system: Senate budget would do away with unairconditioned beds

Every bed in the state prison system would get air conditioning under a budget plan the state Senate rolled out this week, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety said Wednesday.

The budget isn't final, and it has a long way to go through the state's legislative process. But, as proposed, the budget has $50 million in it for HVAC upgrades in Department of Public Safety and Department of Health and Human Services facilities.

That's enough to air condition the 38 percent of prison beds in the state without air conditioning now, DPS spokesman Jody Donaldson said in an email.

The change would address an issue that has lingered for decades at a number of facilities, including the North Carolina Correctional Institute for Women, in Raleigh.

"Leadership in the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice greatly appreciates the tremendous support shown by the Senate in addressing so many of the division’s priorities in their budget proposal, to include HVAC repairs and installations in areas within facilities that have desperately needed them," Donaldson said. "The lack of air conditioning during the summer months has been a major safety and health concern for our staff, as well as those in our custody."