Some inmates in Limestone Correctional Facility are reportedly enduring the Christmas season without heat or additional blankets.
Prisoners at Limestone are complaining about the temperature in the Harvest prison, which is slated to experience lows below freezing over the next week.
According to anonymous sources within Limestone, the protective custody (PC) dorms have been without central heating and air for years.
Officials with the Alabama Department of Corrections have not returned inquiries from 1819 News, so it's unclear if the lack of central heat is limited to the PC dorms.
According to sources, PC inmates have not been able to get additional state-issued blankets, which are said to be thin and do not retain heat well. Limestone did distribute jackets and plastic sheeting to cover windows to the inmates to deal with the incoming cold front. However, sources say the jackets and plastic sheeting do little to hold back the chill, which has dipped below freezing in recent weeks.
Inmates only receive packages from family and friends quarterly. When one individual attempted to order a pair of thermal long johns for an inmate, it was only when the inmate received the package that Limestone informed them that they were out of long johns and would be issuing a refund.
Sources also told 1819 News that while the facility has heating units, there is no infrastructure to heat the PC dorms aside from hot water pipes that run through the cells.
While some facilities bring in industrial heaters during frigid temperatures, Limestone has reportedly not yet done so.
Temperature-related complaints in Alabama are not new since only four of the state's 26 prisons provide heat and air conditioning in all prison dorms.
A federal lawsuit is currently underway for Tommy Lee Rutledge, who died inside his private cell at William Donaldson Correctional Facility after "baking to death," according to the lawsuit.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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