Inmates without air conditioning call for help during heat wave

On Tuesday, disturbing footage surfaced of St. Louis inmates yelling for help from inside a jail with no air conditioning.

The video, which was recorded by Fox2Now reporter Elliot Davis, showed the outside of Medium Security Institution as men yelled “help us!” and “we ain’t got no AC!” through the windows.

According to Davis, both inmates and jail staff at the “workhouse” have complained about the miserably hot jail, which holds 770 inmates. It seems the jail is in desperate need of air conditioning repair as there are multiple issues with the cooling and ventilation system, even including broken down vents. If you take into account the National Weather Service recently issuing a dangerous heat wave warning for the area, you can imagine that it’s even worse for the inmates. This mainly due to the fact that the jail is typically 5-10 degrees hotter than outside, and the temperatures have been in the 90s and 100s. The jail must do something about the highly needed vent cleaning and ac repair since the high temperatures can be a large risk for inmates and luckliy for them this can all be done with the help of expert hvac system services.

— Inmates who helped save deputy’s life will have sentences shortened — 

The day after the video surfaced, State. Rep. Joshua Peters (D) called for the Missouri Speaker of the House Todd Richardson to create a commission to examine the jail conditions, noting that he had seen  “mold in dining facilities” and “infestations of insects and vermin” at the jail, the Associated Press reported. And on Thursday, St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed announced that they were looking into emergency options to keep the jail cool.

While options are being considered, St. Louis Corrections Commissioner Dale Glass, according to CBS affiliate KMOV, has a plan for the inmates, rotating them into cool areas like the library and dining hall. Medical help is also on-hand.

“I’ll do what I can with the resources I have and my main objective is to make sure that although it’s hot, it’s safe,” Glass said.