Overview
- Two compressors in the facility’s heating system failed, lowering temperatures in male housing units and the gym, according to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
- Advocates report that more than 60 children endured indoor temperatures of roughly 55–60 degrees for over a week and slept in cold dormitories.
- The state executed an emergency procurement, installed four industrial-grade electric heaters—the maximum the building can support—and expects to complete the complex repair by the end of the week.
- DPSCS says staff are conducting hourly temperature checks, providing blankets and warm clothing, keeping programming running with some classes relocated, and have seen no medical issues tied to the cold.
- Public defenders and youth justice advocates held a news conference urging immediate repairs and broader reforms, citing overcrowding and autocharging policies that disproportionately affect Black children.