Posted on 06/29/2009 2:28:46 PM PDT by reaganaut1
With budgets tight, states and local governments have been looking at prisons — and prison food — as a place to save money. Three days a week, Georgia now serves inmates only two meals. And across the country, there have been increasing reports of substandard food. This is inhumane. Adequate meals should be a nonnegotiable part of a civilized penal system. It is also bad policy. Researchers have found a connection between poor food quality and discipline problems and violence.
Georgia has nevertheless decided to save on staff costs by serving just two meals on Friday, as it already did on Saturday and Sunday. The state says it gives prisoners the same number of calories on days when one meal is skipped. Even if it does — and some prisoners’ advocates are skeptical — it can be oppressive to go so long without eating.
In Alabama earlier this year, a federal judge ordered the Morgan County sheriff locked up in his own jail for contempt for failing to adequately feed his inmates. Alabama allows sheriffs to keep food money they do not spend, and the sheriff reportedly pocketed more than $200,000 over three years.
Prisoners’ rights advocates say they are receiving an increasing number of complaints from inmates nationwide who report being served spoiled or inedible food or inadequate portions. Earlier this year, a riot at Reeves County Detention Center in Texas caused heavy damage to a prison building. Inmates said it was prompted in part by poor food.
...
If states and localities want to save money on corrections, they should reduce their prison and jail populations. The United States, which has less than 5 percent of the world’s population, has almost one-quarter of its prisoners.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Does the Times ever editorialize on behalf of tax-paying, law-abiding citizens?
Fine. Anyone with a BMI below what medical studies say is healthy get a third meal.
We don’t need to maintain blimps and muscle-heads.
On the other hand, there is all that science about how people on a restricted-calorie diet live longer. They are doing those convicts a favor.
How many unemployed families are skipping meals because they cannot afford to eat.
I strongly suggest to the NYSlimes that their Christmas Fund this year be diverted to feed the poor hungry inmates in the Georgia hoosegow.
Let the prisoners sleep late on Friday, then they only need 2 meals.
It’s PRISON, for Pete’s sake. It’s not supposed to be enjoyable. There was a time when fatback, grits and cornbread was all inmates received to eat.
When they’re not being raped, prison inmates should be starving. Part of the treatment.
Hmm. I wonder if it would save money in the long run if the prison would feed those serving life-sentences large amounts of fat, greasy foods?
Phil Redmond, the sheriff of Iredell Cnty, NC, was alledged to have a very large stake in the company that provided all the goods for the county jail.
Georgia should tell the Slimes to worry about their own fricking state.
The way I saw it explained before was that the weekend meal was later and was a brunch.
We don’t run ‘gulags’ in this country. The state has no right to put you at risk.
You have no idea what it means to be an American.
parsy, who is disgusted
This point has been so well documented that this proposed new policy might be overturned in court for abuse of discretion, and that is pretty hard to do.
Naturally the NYT neglects to mention that there are number of countries which would be higher on the list if they didn't simply execute most of the people they convict of crimes, and then there are the countries (like North Korea) where the entire population is held prisoner while not being allowed to grow adequate food. We've got plenty of people in our prison system who really should be executed -- and that would be a heck of lot better place to start cost-cutting than letting career criminals back out on the streets.
The sheriff-pocketing-money story is quite true. He was actually allowed to do this under state law, but it obviously easy to abuse and one particular sheriff wnet way overboard with the abuse. The law that permitted this was struck down by a court, or at least drastically modified to require the sheriffs to meet specific standards with the type and quantity of food served.
Honestly, I'll withhold judgement on the reasonableness of the two meals a day scheme until relevant information is supplied. The NYT didn't bother to mention if the inmates are actually only allowed to eat twice a day, or if they only *served* twice a day and able to take some food back to their cells to eat at other times.
Personally, I'd be passing out frequently if I only ate twice a day -- my blood sugar just won't stay at a normal level unless I eat much more frequently than that. But that doesn't mean I need lots of meals, it just means I have to keep something like peanuts with me if I'm away from home and won't have access to other food for several hours. And some inmates are actually attempting to study, to earn GEDs or vocational certifications, or even associate-level college degrees. Being restricted to eating twice a day would really hinder their progress -- but as long as they can snack on their own, then it shouldn't be a problem.
I would be in favor of feeding them a low-protein diet that would work against them putting on muscle mass, and eliminating any weight-lifting equipment.
They don’t need to eat like they are at a fancy hotel though, either. I would think two meals a day would be plenty for a person confined to a cell. But then on the otherhand, a trip to the cafeteria would be a major event to a person confined to a cell. And taking one of those three daily trips away from them would seem a little harsh from their point of view.
Good idea. Early parole with one way bus tickets to New York City.
If the Times ever did any research they would know that inmates live off commissary ie Ramen noodles, cookies, beef jerky etc.
Most prison meals just end up in the dumpsters.
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