Louisiana prison system may seek federal COVID-19 funding for air conditioning
The officials who run Louisiana’s Department of Corrections are looking at whether any federal funding included in a recent COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress could be used to install air conditioning in state prisons.
Concerns over inmates’ well-being doesn’t seem to be what’s driving the conversation over air conditioning. Department of Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc told state lawmakers Tuesday that the extreme heat is making it harder for the prison system to hire and retain correctional officers.
Thomas Bickham, who oversees the finances of the state prison system, said the federal government has made some money available for one-time infrastructure upgrades in recent weeks that his agency hopes to access. The state could argue that air conditioning would help the prison system handle any future outbreak of COVID-19 or another health crisis in the future, Bickham said.
Fully outfitting Louisiana’s eight operating facilities with air conditioning could cost anywhere from $28 million to $30 million, Bickham and LeBlanc said at a Louisiana Senate Finance committee hearing Tuesday.
Read more: https://lailluminator.com/2021/03/31/louisiana-prison-system-may-seek-federal-covid-19-funding-for-air-conditioning/