Inmates not in any danger after jail air conditioning goes down

Inmates were never in danger after the Stanislaus County Jail in downtown Modesto was without air conditioning for several days, according to Sheriff Adam Christianson.

Jail staff noticed that the air conditioning wasn’t operating efficiently on June 30. The department’s contractor was notified and responded to assess the system, Christianson said in an email Monday after a caller to The Modesto Bee raised the question, saying that temperatures at the H Street facility rose to near triple digits. Christianson said that wasn’t the case.

While awaiting repairs to the system, jail staff initiated heat protocol procedures, which mandates monitoring of inmates, especially those on psychotropic medications, Christianson said.

Staff also distributed ice and other cooling measures, including allowing inmates to shower more frequently, the sheriff said.

Champion determined that two compressors failed and new equipment was ordered. One compressor was installed Monday and the other will be installed on Wednesday. The system is currently operating normally but the second compressor still needs to be installed, Christianson said Monday.

This story was originally published July 6, 2015 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Inmates not in any danger after jail air conditioning goes down."