PHOENIX — After another brutally hot summer, the state prison director is asking for $131 million to upgrade cooling systems at two Arizona prisons. Some units at the facilities have relied on outdated evaporative coolers for years.
Marissa Luna is one of dozens of Arizonans who emailed ABC15 this summer with concerns about heat safety for loved ones inside Lewis Prison near Buckeye.
"This summer, my son actually called me and said, 'Mama, we need your help,'" Luna said. "The men are lying on the floor. We're just drenched in sweat. There's no airflow."
An evaporative cooling system, also known as a swamp cooler, broke down at Lewis Prison’s Bachman Unit during a July 2026 heatwave. As ABC15 previously reported, the repair took four days.
Prisoners’ rights advocates said it's a compound problem: old swamp coolers can't sufficiently reduce temperatures, are prone to breakdowns, and water from the system can make cells damp and moldy.
"If this were a school or a nursing home, no one would allow these institutions to keep people in these conditions. We are hearing that it's pretty bad," said Rosalind Akins, the director of prisoners' rights advocacy at Mass Liberation Arizona.
Reports from the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry show 24 prison units are still waiting for modern air conditioning, or are only partly renovated, after funding for HVAC replacement was reduced or eliminated for four years.
"This is something that's been happening every year, and it's time to hold people accountable and get some transparency out of the prison system,” said state Rep. Walter Blackman, a Republican from District 7 and chairman of the House Government Committee.
Blackman said he's asking ADCRR for information from August 2026, including:
- Cooling system outages in August.
- Temperature readings and emergency cooling measures.
- Maintenance requests and repair costs.
- Heat-related impacts on prison workers and inmates.
"If those things are not fixed, we will see another lawsuit because of neglect of facilities," Blackman said.
ADCRR director Ryan Thornell declined ABC15's interview request. He previously spoke to ABC15 in July 2026 about HVAC improvements.
ADCRR’s FY2028 budget request, dated Sept. 1, shows upgrading HVAC systems at Lewis and Tucson Prisons as his top funding priority.
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If approved, ADCRR would add air conditioning to 8 prison units in the two facilities, costing an estimated $131 million. Construction would be completed by 2031.
Luna said the five-year timeline seems too long, and she suggested cost-saving options like having inmates help with labor.
"It's not for comfort; it's not for luxury; it's for survival," Luna said.
Rep. Blackman said the records he requested from the prison system will help determine whether current heat safety practices are adequate and whether continued repair to the aging systems is the most cost-effective approach. He said the information could lead to a legislative hearing and decisions on budget priorities for FY2028.
