Cheap fix could end $1 million fight over heat on death row

(AP) — The state of Louisiana has spent more than three years and over $1 million in taxpayer money to fight a lawsuit that claims three death row inmates are exposed to dangerous heat levels in their cells.

A possible low-tech solution costs less than $2,000 and would avoid the need to install a more expensive air conditioning system inside Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, according to court testimony Monday for the long-running litigation.

Prison officials also recently installed a plastic curtain to trap the cool air and equipped each inmate's cell with "Cajun cooler" systems, described in a court filing as an ice chest, a fan and a duct that emits cool air.

Last year, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said any remedy should be limited to the three plaintiffs, not all 85 death row inmates, and invited the state to provide relief without installing air conditioning.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press through public records requests showed the state's corrections department and attorney general's office have accrued at least $1,067,000 in expenses fighting the inmates' lawsuit.