The Shadow
RICHMOND, VA (VR) — The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) is committed to ensuring the safety and security of its corrections team and the more than 22,000 incarcerated individuals housed in correctional facilities across the Commonwealth of Virginia. This is particularly true as the agency implements strategies to manage summer weather conditions.
All VADOC facilities constructed since 1990 had air conditioning integrated into their design and construction. However, VADOC facilities constructed before 1990 did not include air conditioning in their original design and construction. The VADOC continues to explore the use of temporary portable air conditioning units in these older facilities, along with working to install additional long-term and permanent solutions.
As the summer months begin, VADOC will implement additional steps to ensure that correctional facilities without air conditioning are provided with ample heat mitigation resources, including:
- The installation of fans
- Providing extra ice and water pouches
- Adjustments to scheduling and the location of some activities
- Misting fans in some VADOC facilities
- Smoke exhaust fans in some facilities to increase airflow
Correction team members will conduct temperature checks multiple times per day to ensure all VADOC facilities stay within safe ranges and that all heat mitigation equipment is functioning properly and will continue to follow American Correctional Association (ACA) standards for heat mitigation and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance on ice handling and distribution.
