Virginia Prisons Get Ready for Summer Heat

State of VA - As temperatures start climbing across Virginia, the state's Department of Corrections is making sure its facilities are prepared, both for the people who work there and the more than 22,000 people locked up inside.

The Virginia Department of Corrections, known as VADOC, manages correctional facilities across the Commonwealth. Not all of them have air conditioning, and that's a real concern heading into the summer months.

Facilities built since 1990 were designed with air conditioning from the start. But older facilities, those built before 1990, were never set up that way. VADOC says it's looking at portable AC units as a short-term fix while also working on more permanent solutions down the road.

In the meantime, the agency has a plan in place to keep things manageable in the heat. Several steps are being put into action at facilities without AC.

Fans will be installed throughout affected areas. Extra ice and water pouches will be made available. Some activities will be moved or rescheduled to cooler parts of the day. Misting fans will be added at certain facilities, and smoke exhaust fans will be used in some locations to pull in more airflow.

Staff will check temperatures multiple times each day to make sure conditions stay within safe ranges and that all the cooling equipment is actually working.

VADOC says it will follow the American Correctional Association's standards for heat management and the FDA's guidance on how ice is handled and distributed.

It's not a perfect solution, portable fans and ice pouches can only do so much when temperatures peak in July and August. But having a structured plan, regular check-ins, and accountability to national standards is a step in the right direction.

As summer sets in, residents across Virginia and family members with loved ones inside these facilities can expect to hear more from VADOC on how conditions are being managed.