The Women’s Correctional Center opened in 1931 and, today, can house just over 570 prisoners. Among them is 37-year-old Kandi Harner, who is sentenced to five years and four months for using and selling methamphetamines.
“My mother was an addict who was more my friend than my mother. When I started using with my mom I was 13," she recalls. "We used together. We sold together. That was how we paid bills. It was normal to me.”
Lately, normal meant living with constant cold. In mid-November, when temperatures fell into the 20’s and 30’s, women begged for heat but were told it would not be turned on until after Thanksgiving. We asked the Department of Corrections about that but received no reply. The state responded to inmate complaints by providing each person with an extra blanket.
“Here we are, well into December, there is still no heat, and it’s getting colder. This is a brick building with no insulation.”
And leaky windows mean cells are often colder than common areas.
“This is a window that takes up most of a wall. We have no curtains. We have no barriers, and it was so much colder.”
On November 16th, matters went from bad to worse when another problem forced the prison to shut off water.
“No one could take a shower. No one could flush toilets. The toilets was a big deal.”
When the heat was finally turned on, it turned out to be broken, and on December 5th, 54 women were ordered to pack up and move into a dormitory filled with bunk beds.
“It’s extremely packed now," Harner said, "but at least it’s warm. I’m not sleeping in two pairs of sox, my jacket, my hat.”
By January, an outside contractor had made repairs, and Harner joined other prisoners in returning to their cells. This week, however, heat failed in another part of the prison.
The news did not surprise Delegate Holly Siebold who is sponsoring a bill that would set requirements for heating and cooling in state prisons. Constituents have told her that HVAC systems often fail in prisons during periods of extreme cold or heat. The measure would also require the state to provide fans for prison cells when the temperature exceeds 80 degrees.
