NORTH VERNON — Everyone has been a bit hot under the collar lately at the Jennings County Jail, but the situation is related to high temperatures and the temporary lack of air conditioning.
According to Jennings County Sheriff Kenny Freeman, the lack of cooling over the past week in the inmate sections of the jail is temporary and caused by the process of replacing the building’s 20-year-old heating and air conditioning unit.
“Believe it or not, while I’m legally required to provide cable television, I am not required to provide air conditioning,” Freeman said Thursday. “That said, I asked for a new system over a year ago to make sure we did have reliable and good air quality. That did not happen but we are now in process of correcting the situation."
Freeman said the process of installing the new system is taking longer than expected because the work was divided between three different contractors.
While work to install a new system is underway, a contractor is coming in to blow out the old lines to keep at least some air conditioning working, he said.
“As it happened, the old system went down during the hottest weather we’ve had so far. Hopefully we are through the worst of it,” Freeman said.
Freeman said the inmates are allowed to remain in their beds without moving and the showers are being made available throughout the day so they can cool down when they want to.
“I would also like to add that we are careful about conditions here. I hope the people complaining now remember we began protecting inmates from COVID two weeks before the mandates went into effect," Freeman said. "We were taking temperatures every day two weeks before everyone else and not one of our inmates caught COVID. Staff members did catch COVID, but not one inmate.”
Freeman said he’s aware that many in the community have been concerned about the conditions.
“I understand the inmates’ families are concerned, and the inmates have been uncomfortable, but know that no one is allowed to die in this jail and it will be better soon,” Freeman said.
