DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Sunday, January 10, 2016
The real cost of feeding an inmate
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
61 comments:
If the $7 includes the staff that prepares, serves, then cleans the kitchen, makes sure the fridges run up to code and keep up with all the health regs yes that is probably what it costs.
I don't believe it costs $7.00 per meal. Staff that prepares the meals (the majority) are the inmates anyway.
10:17, Many other restaurants and fast food chains have the same overhead. In fact, probably more. The staff in prison who prepare the food cost $2.50 PER DAY each. The county buys in bulk, so the cost of food is minimal.
The article is clearly about do you agree or disagree. You clearly disagree and that's fine.
Thanks for your comment.
30 cents a meal. Ask someone who works there. Aramark is making bank on taxpayers, whether it be the meals, commissary, or clothing.
Or phone calls.
Close the kitchen and have the deputies get Burger King meals for $5-6 per meal at end of road. Dominos has $7.99 3 topping pizzas Mon - thursday carry out. 1/2 pizza per inmate and iced tea or water = $4.50 per inmate no kitchen needed.
Not the deputies, but the fire department because they are already there everyday!
The cost is 0.98 per inmate per meal. Years ago when the menu was basically the same as the schools (you remember share pizza) the tray was 1.05 per tray. Keep in mind that 0.98 cents is what the jail pays the contrator.
Yes too much per meal....I also thought it would as all contracted services, either way to much in my opinion.
10:35 The fire dept can delivery the Burger King meals since they are already at BK!!
eeeeewwwwwww
It cost over 50k a year for an inmate, so I am sure it does not 7 bucks a meal, they might serve them food with the quality of 7 bucks, but it cost a lot more than that...
The food in the jail is one notch above pig slop! The only way to fix it is hook it back into the public school systems food program. Then they would meet the USDA nutritional requirements. The reason they feed so bad is they want the inmates to buy Commissary food. Each inmate is supposed to buy $50 a week to supplement the slop! All about maximizing profits, while hosing the taxpayers and inmates.
The county jail here doesn't prepare the jail's food, because I inquired about a cooking job there. The food is contracted to a business in Cambridge Maryland and they prepare food for many institutions. Seems to me like it would be cheaper to do it in house with a small staff, they would probably be decent paying jobs with benefits also. However, those costs are why they contract out.
$0.27/meal provided by untrained uncertified non-correctional aramark staff supervising inmates served by officers supervising inmates on the blocks and not in a dining area. those portions are not enough. the kitchen workers get fat while the rest struggle which is why they are housed separately from the rest of the blocks. those that do work in the kitchen and are still housed on the blocks until they can get into trustee dorm always go back with food and/or whatever they can which is why they don't get to eat their trays on their days off since they get to eat so good while they are working. the public has no say over this and anyone complaining is so easily dismissed. as a former officer, i've sent my entire blocks food back to the kitchen several times for it being too cold or not having enough portions in which i faced severe reprimands and a permanent shunning from the kitchen staff since i'm not trained in their culinary field, but seriously anyone with common sense can see that it is not enough. There is NO accountability here. In fact, if my personal dress and appearance in uniform has to be maintained as professional with the ever subtle act of brushing my teeth and washing my hands, shouldn't the kitchen staff of aramark do the same? it is an ungodly sight to behold when any of them actually crack a smile and you see the disgusting camouflage of nicotine yellow and off-white plaque buildup that is to be their teeth and the acidic stench of their deathly provided mist of breath in which most have to step back and look away and remember to absolutely keep your distance from or you may vomit as i did. Trust me when I say that is a lesson you'll never forget. if anyone thinks i'm being too extreme, clearly you have not been in there or met any of the kitchen staff. the head boss looks decent and is very nice until she got busted taking food from the jail to another facility. that's when she had an attitude with everyone for a while, but kept her job...imagine that.
Our entire economy (local and national) is founded on crony capitalism. Those with the connections get the government contracts. Who has connections? How do you get "in on them"?
To be one, ask one.
LOL....previous inmate, if you want to eat better stay the hell out of jail....get a real job and earn a decent wage!!!!!
When my family member was sentenced to a total of 3 years in Jail (for driving on a suspended non alcohol related) I was surprised at the money racket jail can be. If he called me for even 2 minutes it was a $15 call. Now apparently new laws are going to resolve the outrageous phone prices in 2016 but it is a clear indication that Jail is about making money.
If I put money in the commissary there was a fee of a little over 8% of what I was depositing not to mention how insane the prices were to buy anything in there.
These private companies are making insane money not only off of our tax dollars but also for way over charging for basic needs.
Yes Jail should not be a picnic by no means but Jail also should never be about profit. When jails are making Profit off of inmates or their families then what is the incentive to let them go.
Because so much can be made off of an inmate in our tax and personal dollars prisons will often deny parole, sentence modifications or any form of early release because they are losing a paying customer.
It would be at least different if the money went back to the county or state to cover the cost of the inmates but these money scams are just lining the pockets of these private jails and this to me is why the U.S. has such a high prison population.
Sounds a little high to me. $21 per day per inmate. $21 x 365 days x 3500 inmates = $26,827,500.
Looks like throw up with a side of chicken.
You're right 1:03. If that's what it cost us all to live, we would all starve! Or lease t anyone with dependents would.
12:46 you are an idiot, I was stuck in the jail till my trial, and was acquitted of all charges, the jail has a lot of innocent people awaiting their date in court. Why I didn't do bail, that is another big racket, that I didn't want to support.
How can I be one?
Don't know if this is still happening, but years ago it was proven and reported that the 'powers that be' were stealing meats from the freezer. In fact when the deliveries were made to the facility, the peons were told to get the meats and put them in the cars and trucks of the thieves. This is NOT a joke. It really happened for a number of years.
If that is a picture of what they are fed, my god I would not feed that to my dog. That is disgusting. Seems to me instead of being ripped off they would have inside cooks, buying bulk which is cheaper. Seems to me no one there actually knows how to figure portion control prices. Can not get a straight answer.
What the @%#!? Did someone throw up on that piece of meat?
I had a close friend from high school who lost his way in life and was contemplating taking his life because of the conditions at the WCDC! Now before you make comments hear me out. My friend had previously served time at the "Annex" or the "cut" and begged to be transferred ASAP to one of those institutions where he knew the games, corruption, $14.00/minute phone calls, less than human food, inmates running the place etc... WCDC has been a horrible corrupt place for decades and the county has continued to turn a blind eye on these abuses despite former guards coming forward confirming what I have heard countless times. Joe look into this hole and do the citizens of Wicomico County a huge favor because it's getting worse and will no doubt result in lawsuits.
That slop is what they call Biscuits and Gravy. Made of "Pink meat" chicken boiled and then a powdered gravy mix added. The meat is chemically deboned from the leftover chicken parts at Purdue. This is the stuff left over after pet food has been made from the carcass. In other words, Garbage.
I have two words for you Bread and Water!
State inmate meal average about $4 per meal.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Close the kitchen and have the deputies get Burger King meals for $5-6 per meal at end of road. Dominos has $7.99 3 topping pizzas Mon - thursday carry out. 1/2 pizza per inmate and iced tea or water = $4.50 per inmate no kitchen needed.
January 6, 2016 at 10:35 AM
The Deputies have nothing to do with the jail you clown!
Anonymous said...
Not the deputies, but the fire department because they are already there everyday!
January 6, 2016 at 10:40 AM
Yes I like that one!!
Anonymous Previous inmate said...
The food in the jail is one notch above pig slop! The only way to fix it is hook it back into the public school systems food program. Then they would meet the USDA nutritional requirements. The reason they feed so bad is they want the inmates to buy Commissary food. Each inmate is supposed to buy $50 a week to supplement the slop! All about maximizing profits, while hosing the taxpayers and inmates.
January 6, 2016 at 11:34 AM
LOL I was going to say you must have been a user name, then I saw your username.
Anonymous RIP Maj. Moore (the best there ever was) said...
$0.27/meal provided by untrained uncertified non-correctional aramark staff supervising inmates served by officers supervising inmates on the blocks and not in a dining area. those portions are not enough. the kitchen workers get fat while the rest struggle which is why they are housed separately from the rest of the blocks. those that do work in the kitchen and are still housed on the blocks until they can get into trustee dorm always go back with food and/or whatever they can which is why they don't get to eat their trays on their days off since they get to eat so good while they are working. the public has no say over this and anyone complaining is so easily dismissed. as a former officer, i've sent my entire blocks food back to the kitchen several times for it being too cold or not having enough portions in which i faced severe reprimands and a permanent shunning from the kitchen staff since i'm not trained in their culinary field, but seriously anyone with common sense can see that it is not enough. There is NO accountability here. In fact, if my personal dress and appearance in uniform has to be maintained as professional with the ever subtle act of brushing my teeth and washing my hands, shouldn't the kitchen staff of aramark do the same? it is an ungodly sight to behold when any of them actually crack a smile and you see the disgusting camouflage of nicotine yellow and off-white plaque buildup that is to be their teeth and the acidic stench of their deathly provided mist of breath in which most have to step back and look away and remember to absolutely keep your distance from or you may vomit as i did. Trust me when I say that is a lesson you'll never forget. if anyone thinks i'm being too extreme, clearly you have not been in there or met any of the kitchen staff. the head boss looks decent and is very nice until she got busted taking food from the jail to another facility. that's when she had an attitude with everyone for a while, but kept her job...imagine that.
January 6, 2016 at 12:01 PM
Who cares if the inmates food was cold. Why would you send it back! Make them eat it. They aren't innocent like the residents of a nursing home who deserve better you liberal turd!
Anonymous said...
Don't know if this is still happening, but years ago it was proven and reported that the 'powers that be' were stealing meats from the freezer. In fact when the deliveries were made to the facility, the peons were told to get the meats and put them in the cars and trucks of the thieves. This is NOT a joke. It really happened for a number of years.
January 6, 2016 at 2:25 PM
LIAR!!
The meals have been contracted out for more than 15 years.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
That slop is what they call Biscuits and Gravy. Made of "Pink meat" chicken boiled and then a powdered gravy mix added. The meat is chemically deboned from the leftover chicken parts at Purdue. This is the stuff left over after pet food has been made from the carcass. In other words, Garbage.
January 6, 2016 at 4:45 PM
Prove it! Are you a criminal thug or a liberal idiot that supports criminal thugs.
Anonymous said...
I have two words for you Bread and Water!
January 6, 2016 at 5:22 PM
Amen!!
The staff are inmates paid $1 a day.
To: January 6, 2016 at 8:56 PM
The right thing to do is to stand up for your fellow human-beings. Your ignorance of how the classification system is not your fault. You are the typical uneducated commenter spewing nonsense about a situation that you do not understand. There are several different classifications of inmates being housed together. The inmates that are sentenced 18 mos or less are housed in the same pods on the blocks as those that are unable to bond out and are awaiting their court date. Not all of them are guilty. Should you ever find yourself in their shoes, you'd want a human-being to stand up for another human-being. It had nothing to do with guilt or innocence, but more about empathy and compassion. I didn't put any of the inmates in the facility. Being firm, fair, and impartial, I just did what was right which goes against the social norm of the public unless you have a loved one on the inside. Otherwise, the public decree is that those that are in are scum and not worth wasting any more thoughts on. However, none of us are better than the next guy that may be in their situation. If you really must comment, take an interest in the facts of their living conditions. Become an officer. Then you can sit back and comment all day long about the minor issues of food portions and witness the amazing lack of accountability when you see wrong and do nothing about it. Good luck to you.
8:39 Thanks for clearing that up. No one in my family has ever been in the jail or needed to visit anyone there. I don't even know where it is located or who runs it. You must be a lot more familiar with it for one reason or another. I'm not here to judge.
Point is that meals from local fast food places can be obtained for less than $7/person.
Anonymous major moore. Some of these comments, like yours, are about ECI, yes they use prisoners working in the kitchen, preparing for their release. However this post has nothing to do about the state prison, it is referring to the county detention center.
January 7, 2016 at 11:54 AM
I'm referring to the county, hence, the reference to Maj. Moore.
For that matter, Golden Corral has carry out for $3.99 a pound. I am sure it would be cheaper in large quantities such as for hundreds of inmates. Estimate 2 pounds of food a day total, for 3 meals, and that is $8 a day if they charged the full price.
They could provide much healthier and better meals, as long as the food director chose salads and "good" food from there, for them.
I think the question was , do we think the meal cost 7 bucks.
Having been in the food service for 25 years , I would say no.
It appears to me , just a guess as others have done , green beans = maybe .05 cents , fruit , maybe .30 cents , main course .75 cents .
Of course this is an off the wall guess , but I would bet money I'm very close.
Inmates do all the serving cleaning etc
Buffets are a seriously good deal according to this.
They deserve to be punished, but I wouldn't feed this to my dog!
I can remember vividly when former Wicomico County Councilman Rusty Molnar was entertaining the idea of 'Prison for Profit' with US immigration officials for construction of a mammoth Wicomico County Detention Center Annex - to house the illegals. The US Federal Government was going to pay Wicomico County an annual lump sum to house and feed the illegals.
NOW GET THIS - former Wicomico County officials undertook the engineering and design plans for construction _(at taxpayers expense). When an investigation was done - the proposed Wicomico County detention center Cafeteria was being designed by a Wicomico County Detention Center employee - and that the change order in design was authorized by the employee. Ultimately - Wicomico County Council signed off on the overage and actually paid the A&E firm for the redesign expenses. If I can recall the official number correctly - it was in excess of $200,000. Of course - all of these design expenses never came to fruition - and ultimately Wicomico's citizens bore the cost of this 'Folly'.
Matt Creamer was the County Administrator at the time.
It would be cheaper (and better food) if they had McDonald's cater their meals. For $7 they could all get Supersized Meals. At least then they wouldn't be eating slop.
In reference to 10:37 Poster - Wicomico County Detention Center Immigration (Hotel) expansion
Yeap - I remember it to when the concept was almost approved until the black community came forward and expressed their concern about how a County could go into the business of incarcerating people - (Prison for Profit). I also remember our County officials authorizing payment for the A&E expenses. This is why I am so afraid of the people running our Government.
They should have to grow cook and serve their own food.
They have two deputy directors, get rid of one and save $80,000 a year.
Agreed, it's an atrocity. The kitchen is unsanitary and the food unfit. Aramark serves crap, so people pay the inflated cost of commissary, just to sustain themselves.
IN mates don't expect gourmet meals, it's a matter of common decency, social justice, and accountability. The system is broken. Animals are fed better. The staff look like they haven't kept themselves in days, inmates are starving, and the kitchen is moving with roaches.
What happened to society? Just because someone made a wrong choice does not give us the right to treat them as garbage. How are people to reintegration into society if you're treated less than human?
Agreed, restructuring is needed and more accountability.
If you cannot follow the rules of a civilized society you deserve to be treated harshly to protect the people who can.
Don't forget one of the reasons other countries have less people in jail is because their prisons are worse.
I agree we should rethink paying the outside firm and do it in house, and have them grow their own food, work more in society to help clean up the mess they help make. No road side should have trash, all county owned property should look immaculate, all medians trimmed, the dump recycle everything with jail labor. If we have to pay for them then make then lessen our bill by helping society. Then give them a better meal they earned....
call meals on wheels. It's better.
Stay out of jail and you won't have to worry about it
But they are supervised by food service staff and officers who get actual paychecks. plus inmates aren't as cost efficient as you would think. They constantly steal stuff and ruin food that drives up the cost a bit. (I am a CO assigned to a kitchen)
Post a Comment