Air conditioning installed at House of Corrections to maintain ‘modern, humane’ facility

The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office will install air conditioning in all of the remaining housing units at its Dartmouth campus that don’t have air conditioning, according to Sheriff Paul Heroux.

“My goal is to run a modern, humane, professional correctional organization,” Heroux said. “Over half of the inmates in my custody are awaiting trial [and/or] have not yet been found guilty. Regardless if an inmate is sentenced [approximately 40% of the population] or awaiting trial [approximately 60%], extreme heat undermines the rehabilitative purpose of the jail by making it more punitive and dangerous.”

Initiated in summer 2023, the project aims to address “excessively hot housing units,” which Heroux said is a local and national issue at correctional facilities.

He added excessive heat that poses a “substantial risk” of harming an inmate’s health could be considered cruel and unusual punishment, with older inmates and those with preexisting conditions at greater risk.

He said research has shown higher temperatures also lead to increased rates of inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-staff assaults.

“Research and everyday experience show that when temperatures get hotter, tempers also get shorter,” Heroux said. “This can be dangerous in a correctional facility” — not just for inmates, but the nearly 300 correctional officers working in these conditions as well.

The funding for this project is coming from existing sources — a combination of federal grants and the inmate canteen fund — and the units will be installed by the Sheriff’s Office maintenance staff, according to Heroux.

The office collects a commission from the inmate canteen, which allows inmates to purchase snacks, drinks and limited personal items, and the funds can only be used for the general welfare of inmates, Heroux said. The office is considering the possibility of using the funds to install solar panels on campus, offsetting the cost of year-round electrical costs.