OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma County commissioners have agreed to turn on the air conditioning at the county jail even though pipes still need to be repaired.
The commissioners voted Thursday to turn the Oklahoma County Jail air cooling system on May 13, nearly three weeks before the repair work is scheduled to be completed, The Oklahoman reported.
“We want people to have reasonable comfort,” Commissioner Kevin Calvey said at the meeting. “Let’s remind folks that that this is a jail, not a prison. Most people in there are pretrial, under our system of law, innocent until proven guilty. That means most of the people in that jail are legally innocent as of right now. And, then, also, even if it is a situation where they’re convicted and things like that, we still want to treat people humanely. There are laws involving that.”
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The decision comes after Public Defender Bob Ravitz warned that lives are at a risk from hot conditions inside the jail. The temperatures Thursday morning ranged from 76 to 85 degrees in inhabited pods.
There are 1,610 inmates detained in the 13-story jail.
The air conditioning hasn’t worked since March 8 because a contractor is fixing pipes that are vital to the system’s function, Sheriff P.D. Taylor said. The contractor is also installing shutoff valves on each floor.
There are risks to putting the air conditioning back on before installing strainers. Debris from old pipes in the system could come loose and knock out cooling coils in air-handling units. Each coil is priced at roughly $10,000.
Calvey said he will ask fellow commissioners to purchase additional coils ahead of time just in case they’re necessary.
The National Weather Service predicted temperatures in Oklahoma City would be no higher than 81 degrees over the next week. Commissioners discussed having another emergency meeting if the temperatures get higher.
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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com
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