Air conditioners for prisoners? Korea's $780,000 plan sparks debate

Journalists wearing prison uniforms experience the daily routine of an inmate during a media tour of correctional facilities at Anyang Prison in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, April 19. Yonhap

The Ministry of Justice on Tuesday sought to defuse criticism over a 1.2 billion won ($784,616) plan to install air conditioning in prisons, clarifying the equipment will cool corridors, not inmates' cells.

The ministry framed the installation as a minimal measure to protect vulnerable inmates and correctional officers from extreme heat, while online critics condemned the taxpayer-funded project as an unfair convenience for criminals.

The Justice Ministry said the equipment will be installed in the corridors, not inside the cells, acting as an indirect cooling method to mitigate temperature increases throughout the prison.

"The system will help improve the working environment for both inmates and correctional officers," the ministry said in a statement.

The installation prioritizes corridors housing older inmates and those with disabilities or other medical issues. Some women's housing units were also included after assessing overcrowding, physical vulnerabilities and detention conditions.

"To respond to heatwaves and prevent heat-related illnesses, we have continuously promoted measures such as operating cooling shelters and providing ice water," the ministry said in a statement. "This cooling facility reinforcement is also a minimal measure to protect the life and physical safety of inmates vulnerable to heatwaves."

Journalists wearing prison uniforms lie inside a cell at Anyang Prison in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, April 19, to experience the daily routine of an inmate. Yonhap

However, public reaction remains highly critical. Online communities were flooded with accusations that the plan is a waste of taxpayer money.

"It's already annoying enough to feed criminals with taxes, but do we now have to install air conditioners with taxes too?" one commenter said. "From whose head on earth did this idea come out?"

Other commenters said the funds should prioritize law-abiding citizens.

"Relieve the families of victims with that money," read one comment, while another said, "Aren't the elderly in cramped single-room housing areas who live without committing crimes the truly vulnerable people?"

A minority of users defended the limited use of the cooling systems, pointing to the safety of prison staff.

"Correctional officers are working in the corridors of the prison accommodation blocks," a commenter said. "Air conditioners must be installed not for the inmates but for the improvement of the working environment of the correctional officers."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.