Key Points:

• The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry estimates it needs more than $130 million to install HVAC systems in discontinued state prison projects

• Lawmakers clawed back HVAC prison funding due to budget concerns in 2025

• The House Government Committee chairman is seeking additional information about heat-related incidents in prisons

The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry is requesting more than $130 million to continue heating, ventilation and air conditioning system replacement projects started years ago within some state prisons.

After funding for HVAC projects was discontinued in 2023, corrections officials are asking Gov. Katie Hobbs and state lawmakers to restore funding to replace existing and “inefficient” evaporative coolers, or “swamp coolers,” with modern HVAC systems. 

A federal judge in July appointed a receiver to take over the state prison healthcare system and a medical examiner is investigating multiple prison deaths that have occurred over the summer, although the corrections department has not listed causes for those deaths.

This summer has been one of the hottest on record in Arizona and in the U.S. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced last week that 2026 was Phoenix’s second-hottest summer on record, with an average temperature of 97 degrees across June, July and August. 

The Legislature provided more than $47.6 million in fiscal year 2023 to upgrade prisons’ cooling systems to HVAC systems. Lawmakers appropriated another $66 million the following year to continue the project. 

But state budget challenges in 2024, when lawmakers faced a $1.4 million deficit, led to a $57 million cut to the corrections department’s efforts, leaving more than 6,500 prison beds without a completed HVAC system to provide air conditioning, according to the department’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. 

All beds in the request are part of either the Lewis or Tucson prison complexes. The Lewis complex near Buckeye contains eight prison units and houses more than 5,000 inmates across 2,300 acres. The Tucson complex houses more than 5,000 inmates across 640 acres with eight units. 

“Many ADCRR complexes rely on aging evaporative cooling systems that are no longer capable of efficient operations or maintaining reasonable temperatures during Arizona summers,” corrections department Director Ryan Thornell wrote in the department’s Sept. 1  budget request. “Excessive moisture from these systems accelerates corrosion, deteriorates ductwork, and damages critical infrastructure. The resulting indoor climate creates difficult conditions for both inmates and staff, while also increasing the frequency of maintenance and long-term capital costs.”

A department HVAC conversion plan, last updated on June 8, shows that 24 prison units statewide are still awaiting funding for HVAC projects. 

Rep. Walt Blackman, R-Snowflake, is reviewing cooling system outages in August, which he said in a news release could lead to legislative hearings, additional oversight, policy changes and budget discussions. 

“Arizona’s prisons must remain safe, secure and operational through the summer,” Blackman said. “Correctional officers should not be working in dangerous temperatures because critical equipment is failing, and taxpayers should not be repeatedly paying for emergency repairs without knowing whether there is a better long-term solution.”

Blackman, the chairman of the House Government Committee, has pushed for more corrections oversight during his time in office. He sponsored a bipartisan $1.5 million appropriation bill to establish an Independent Corrections Oversight Office during the recent legislative session, but the funding was not included in the recently enacted state budget. 

Blackman did not return a request for comment by Tuesday afternoon, but he said in a news release that he’s waiting for more information from the corrections department about prison conditions before committing to support HVAC funding.

“Conservative government means taking care of the infrastructure taxpayers already own and making sound decisions before small problems become expensive emergencies,” Blackman said. “If we are spending substantial sums every summer repairing the same aging equipment, we need to know that. If replacement would save money over the long term, we need those numbers too.”

The recent budget also cut funding across almost every agency by 2.5%. Gov. Katie Hobbs told the Arizona Capitol Times on Sept. 3 that her administration is “preparing for the worst” with projections of reduced state revenue due to stagnant revenue growth since the enacted budget. 

Will Humble, director of the Arizona Public Health Association, said budget funding decisions reflect lawmakers’ priorities and their choice not to address heat-related concerns across the state.

“These are choices, not fate,” Humble said. “It’d just be nice if lawmakers were honest about it and just come out and say that this isn’t something I’m willing to invest in.”