Another summer swamp cooler failure in an Arizona prison

BUCKEYE, AZ — The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry confirmed that an evaporative cooler at Lewis Prison’s Bachman Unit was under repair for four days this week.

Viewers contacted ABC15 with concerns about “inhumane” conditions inside the prison during the outage, which lasted from last Friday until Monday.

Phoenix high temperatures ranged from 93 to 107 degrees during that period. The department says heat mitigation efforts include distributing free ice to inmates when indoor temperatures exceed certain levels.

Three units, including Bachman, at Lewis Prison are still listed as awaiting funding for HVAC upgrades.

An Extreme Heat Warning is in effect Thursday to Monday, and the higher temperatures could further tax the old evaporative coolers, commonly known as swamp coolers.

ABC15 Investigator Melissa Blasius takes viewer concerns to ADCRR in the video player above.