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Orbe (VD)Behind bars, the ordeal of a private heating engineer
A breakdown at La Croisée prison exasperates an imprisoned heating engineer and his fellow prisoners. As a professional, he might repair, but he is forbidden to do so.
La Croisée prison accommodates prisoners who are to serve short sentences.
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Twenty prisoners have been shivering for three weeks. In question, a heating failure which affects an entire unit of the prison of La Croisée, in Orbe (VD). “We have undertaken work, including flushing and adjustments. We then discovered other complications and called in an outside company. It will intervene soon, ”confirmed the Vaud Prison Service (SPEN) on Wednesday.
If the temperature is usually around 21 or 22 degrees in the cells, “our readings indicate that they are currently between 17 and 18 degrees (note: 15, according to an inmate). If we take into account that the prisoners can hardly move, for lack of space, they feel the cold more quickly”, comments the spokesperson, Marc Bertolazzi. In the affected unit, the tension is such that the prisoners threatened not to return to their cells on Wednesday evening without a firm commitment from the management for a rapid repair.
Escape risk
Among the detainees, there is one who is even more upset than the others. A professional heating engineer, he identified the origin of the breakdown and might easily repair it. But he is forbidden to do so. “Humanly, we can understand his frustration. Still, this kind of work cannot be entrusted to a detainee, because there is always a security risk, even of escape, ”continues the SPEN.
The mutiny did not take place, however, as the prison warden had confirmed hours earlier that a company would be coming shortly. Finally, happy ending Thursday morning. Heating has been restored. “We won, but it’s still sad to have to contact the press and use pressure tactics for this kind of thing. I had however alerted by mail the services concerned and explained what to do. Until now, no one has listened to me. In the end, the guy who came, who has the same training as me, did exactly what I recommended… A simple balancing act,” laments the heating engineer.
“In prison, everything takes on a different proportion”
For ordinary mortals, this heating problem can seem like a temporary inconvenience. Not for an inmate. “We sleep with the window closed, two in a very small room. In the morning, the humidity is such that everything is soaked. Even our stationery, our only means of communicating, gondola. And sleeping with three sweaters is not easy,” comments the heating engineer. And Marc Bertolazzi to confirm: “In prison, everything takes on another proportion. When you can go out, go to work or meet friends, it’s different. We sometimes hear that prisoners live in luxurious conditions, but this is not the reality.