RALEIGH, N.C. – With the completion of air conditioning installation projects at Warren Correctional Institution and Wilkes Correctional Center this month, the NC Department of Adult Correction has reached the point where 90% of the nearly 39,000 beds in the state prison system are in air-conditioned spaces.
“Having air conditioning during hot North Carolina summers provides more comfortable living spaces for those in our custody and better working conditions for our employees,” said Adult Correction Secretary Leslie Dismukes. “We’re excited about this progress and look forward to having all prison housing areas air-conditioned in 2027. And we are hopeful that the requested budget amount of $12.48 million included in the governor's budget will make a significant difference.”
Air conditioning installation is currently underway at nine prison facilities, and all but four prisons are expected to be fully air-conditioned by the end of 2026.
NCDAC began the effort to air-condition all its prison housing areas in 2022. Since then, NCDAC has completed work through a combination of vendor-managed projects and work handled by staff and offenders in the NCDAC Construction Apprenticeship Program.
When the air conditioning program began in 2022, about 63% of beds were air-conditioned and more than 15,000 incarcerated people were living in non-air-conditioned spaces. Today, about 2,700 non-air-conditioned beds remain.
NCDAC has a Heat Stress Management Plan that is reviewed and updated annually and outlines procedures for prison staff to follow during excessive temperatures to keep everyone safe.
NCDAC continually posts updates to its AC project website showing progress on installation. The site shows where projects are underway, and which prisons are fully and partially air-conditioned.
The air conditioning program involves work on more than 140 buildings at 40 state prisons. Besides cooling systems, the upgrades at some locations have included fire alarm and life safety system improvements and installation of USB power outlets, which allow easier charging of the electronic tablets used by offenders.