Rick Halperin
Tue Aug 16 12:14:04 2005
Friends---I forward the following to the list-- =D8 To Whom It May Concern: It has recently been brought to my attention that the Death Row unit located at Union Correctional Institution is not equipped with an air conditioning system nor are there fans available for purchase through the inmate store. Having been a resident of Central Florida for nineteen years, I am aware of the temperature during the summer months that sometimes exceeds one hundred degrees. Heat stroke can be a problem during the hot summer months and can lead to disorientation, hallucinations, aggressive and combative behavior, coma, and death. According to the Center for Disease Control, approximately three hundred people die of heat stroke every summer throughout the United States. The problems that lead to heat stroke are aggravated by living conditions that have poor ventilation and inadequate cooling systems. I realize that equipping the Death Row units with air conditioning would not be a plausible nor cost efficient solution. However, the Department of Corrections has an existing duty to provide suitable housing for its inmates. This duty is not being met during the summer months, when the health of the inmates is being jeopardized by the extreme temperatures that make their living conditions less than suitable. The simple act of adding fans to the inmate store's list of purchasable goods would meet that duty of providing adequate housing for the inmates. Thank you for any consideration given to this matter. =D8 =D8 =D8 =D8 =D8 http://www.petitiononline.com/FLDR4328/petition.html