As record-breaking heatwaves with temperatures hovering around 40°C continue, the Ministry of Justice has temporarily suspended a project to reinforce air conditioning facilities in correctional facilities, which was scheduled to be carried out with an allocation of 1.2 billion won this year.
While this decision reflects the acceptance of fierce public criticism questioning why taxpayer money should be used to install air conditioning for criminals, critics point out that the working conditions for on-site prison guards have also reached their limit.
Previously, the Ministry of Justice planned to expand the installation of air conditioning in housing units where vulnerable inmates, such as the elderly, disabled, and patients, live.
Currently, air conditioning inside correctional facilities is limited to the hallways of patient housing units with medical cells, and most inmate cells rely on electric fans. The correctional authorities pursued the project using an indirect cooling method by installing air conditioning in the hallways of housing units to prevent heatwave damage cases.
Some women's housing units in overcrowded correctional institutions were also included in the project.
Subsequently, opposition poured in online with comments such as "Is it appropriate to install air conditioning in prisons?" and "Air conditioning should be installed in the homes of elderly people living alone before criminals," ultimately leading to the suspension of the air conditioning facility reinforcement project.
However, as unprecedented heatwaves persist, with the indoor temperature of a cell at the Seoul Detention Center reaching 33°C on the 5th, and another correctional facility in the capital area seeing cell temperatures soar up to 37°C, critics point out that the fallout is also hitting correctional officers working in these facilities.
With the sweltering heat increasing inmates' irritability, conflicts between inmates are becoming more frequent, and cases of inmates repeatedly and meaninglessly calling correctional officers are also on the rise, according to reports.
Inmate rule violations are increasing every year, with the total number of disciplinary actions imposed on inmates reaching approximately 34,500 cases last year, an increase of over 8% compared to the previous year.
In particular, physical assaults against correctional officers by inmates skyrocketed more than fourfold, from 157 cases in 2016 to 629 cases last year.
Minister of Justice Jung Sungho mentioned yesterday, "The President showed deep concern over the severe overcrowding and the suffering experienced by correctional officers, and we discussed countermeasures."
(Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Hong Jinyoung | Graphics by Yang Hyemin | Produced by SBS Digital News)
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