Lauderdale County Sheriff says summer heat and overcrowding are responsible for high temperatures inside jail

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FLORENCE, Ala. If you’ve ever been out to Alabama in July, you know the heat can be cruel.

Over the past week, News 19 received several complaints about the air conditioner inside the Lauderdale County Detention Center.

Sheriff Rick Singleton said he was aware of the uncomfortable conditions inside, but said the air conditioning was working well.

The air conditioner works; it’s just overworked, Singleton said.

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Built in 1994, the Lauderdale County Detention Center was only built to hold 150 inmates, but as of this week the sheriff said there were more than double that number inside.

Overcrowding creates a host of problems, Singleton said. You have essentially twice the capacity for which this unit was designed and engineered. It’s like the air in your house or anywhere else, when you have the kind of time you have right now, it works hard.

Over the years, the prison has added two annexes to accommodate more inmates, but overcrowding continues.

The sheriff said one of the reasons for the number of detainees is that non-violent offenders who were not arrested during the pandemic now have warrants. He still has a solution in mind.

The commissioners and I have been discussing, in fact for five years or more, the need for a new facility, said Singleton.

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However, until those thoughts become reality, the sheriff said the heat inside the prison remains an unfortunate issue this time of year for inmates and staff alike.

Singleton said the age-old question about a new prison is how to pay for it. He said that in 2016 the estimated cost was $ 35 million. After speaking with the architect last week, Singleton said the cost had risen to $ 50 million.

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