ST. LOUIS • Temporary air conditioning units were delivered to the City Workhouse on Monday, where officials hope they can provide relief to inmates currently housed without air conditioning in the hot summer months.

Five units from TempAir, ranging from 25 to 50 tons, will be installed in the older sections of the jail this week, said St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson. Engineers expect the units will cool the temperature to about 78 degrees in the facility, more formally known as the St. Louis Medium Security Institution.

“I support air conditioning at MSI for the health and safety of everyone who is in that jail,” Krewson said in a statement. “Once my administration determined that temporary air conditioning was a viable solution, I ordered that temporary air conditioning units be installed as soon as possible.”

The city’s medium-security jail has long been the subject of complaints and protests. In addition to its lack of air conditioning, residents have raised concerns about abuse from guards and unsanitary conditions in the facility. It houses more than 760 inmates, most of whom have not yet been convicted and are awaiting trial.