West Cook News

Village of Oak Park Department of Public Health Director Theresa D. Chapple took to Twitter to note her concern for prisoners who may be uncomfortable during the recent heat wave. 

The Oak Park Health director also shared on Twitter that she was advised by her Uber driver to roll up the window due to the high temperature. 

“Dealing with high heat today? Take a moment to write a letter to your governor about humane treatment of incarcerated people during heat waves," Chapple said on Twitter. "Air conditioning isn't a luxury, it's a public health prevention tool, especially in crowded settings of people with varying health conditions.” 

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) notes the standards for prison unit temperatures are not to exceed 80° F. NIC noted the Department of Health has regulations in place to deal with high heat scenarios.

According to NIC, their department of environmental health requires tour commanders to notify the warden and the assistant commissioner for environmental health of any temperatures that are below 68° F in all areas and above 80° F in medical, mental health and air-conditioned areas. NIC calls these "abnormal temperature conditions."

"At temperatures at or above 80° F, maintenance is notified to repair the air conditioning, ice is provided for the inmates, two fans are placed in the housing areas and it is determined how many heat sensitive inmates are housed in the area," NIC notes on their website. "Heat sensitive inmates will be relocated if the temperatures reaches or exceeds 85° F, if the temperature remains above 80° F for a period of time and maintenance is unable to resolve the issue within a reasonable amount of time, or if the air conditioning cannot be repaired that day. Any non-heat sensitive inmates will remain in the housing area."

Chapple is a noted supporter of Black Lives Matter (BLM), according to West Cook News. BLM was behind the protests that turned into looting and destroyed the downtown areas of cities across the nation in 2020.

Chapple and other proponents of "equity" contend that racism against white, Asian and Hispanic people is to blame for the pathologies in black neighborhoods, such as the high rate of crime, the rise in single-parent households and the poor academic performance of black students.