LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It all started with a tip to our newsroom: Family members of people incarcerated at a prison in Lee County, the Lee Adjustment Center, wrote letters saying their loved ones had been suffering for weeks from lack of heat.
WHAS11 News also received tips from incarcerated people inside the facility that they didn't have heat as well.
Our FOCUS team pressed the Kentucky Department of Corrections for answers, and soon after, family members said on Jan. 28 that heat had returned.
“It gets so cold in there that they can see their own breath at night,” a family member of one of those individuals told WHAS11 News in a Facebook Message.
Marcus Jackson, an organizer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, said it's bad for facilities to not have heat in the middle of winter.
He described the conditions of many Kentucky prisons as "crumbling and inhumane," and said those behind bars suffer.
“These old buildings... aren't being repaired the way that they should be," he said.
Those impacted in Lee County said they were scared to speak up.
“I’m scared of retaliation," one incarcerated person at the Lee Adjustment Center, who wished to remain anonymous, told the FOCUS team over the phone Jan. 26.
Another person said that those behind bars had to layer up to stay warm.
“It’s very cold," they said. "We sleep with sweatsuits on, everything except our shoes.”
So, what happened?
Family members of those at the Lee Adjustment Center said the heat is back on Jan. 28. But the FOCUS team decided to dig into what caused this problem at the facility in Lee County.
The Kentucky Department of Corrections said a piece of equipment failed last week, which limited airflow. In an email, they wrote:
“The facility has conducted temperature checks every two hours since that time and the temperature has never dropped below 60 degrees. The most recent check today showed an average temperature of 67 degrees in the unit. Extra blankets have been provided to all inmates housed there.”
And the Department of Corrections said they’re in the process of replacing the failing equipment. But Jackson said with aging infrastructure, heating problems will persist.
In fact, the problems with heat at the Lee Adjustment Center come about two weeks after those behind bars at the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women (KCIW) complained of the same problem.
In an email, a spokesperson with the Kentucky Department of Corrections said the heating system at KCIW hasn’t stopped working in the last 6 years.
They said damper and sensor issues contributed to reduced airflow at that facility as well.
“The institution has applied a temporary fix for these issues and is currently in the process of working with contractors to evaluate the system for any permanent improvements," the spokesperson said. "When temperatures have dropped below 65 degrees, space heaters have been utilized and extra blankets distributed.”
WHAS11 News asked the Department of Corrections about the age and maintenance of all heating systems in state prisons.
Especially during these cold winter months, the FOCUS team wanted to know how problems with heat are being addressed permanently. But as of the time of reporting, they haven't responded.
If you have something on this topic or anything else you want to be investigated, email FOCUS@whas11.com.
PAULA VASAN has been covering issues inside prisons for years.
Contact reporter Paula Vasan at pvasan@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@PaulaVasan) and Facebook.
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