Illinois Debtors Thrown In Jail: Lisa Madigan Working To Stop Debt Collector Arrest Warrants

Appalling Prison and Jail Food Leaves Prisoners Hungry for Justice

Prison food. The very words conjure images of unidentifi­able mystery meat, chili-mac, watery oatmeal and creamed chipped beef – the latter being commonly, though not very appetizing­ly, known as “$h!t on a shingle” in jailhouse parlance.

Before someone goes to prison or jail, what they eat is usually taken for granted. But behind bars, food becomes a serious issue. With the trend towards privatizin­g prison food services, plus economic pressures on state and local government­s, there are growing concerns as to whether prisoners are receiving nutritiona­lly adequate diets.

When confronted with jail or prison cuisine, prisoners have only three options: eating what is served or buying overpriced food items from the institutio­nal canteen or commissary­, assuming they have sufficient funds, or stealing prison food and preparing it themselves­. Most prisons and jails use a rotating menu for their meals, with the same foods being served on a regular cycle. Others plan meals according to whatever foodstuffs can be purchased at the lowest price.

Over the past decade, prison and jail officials have been turning to private for-profit companies to cut the cost of feeding prisoners. Leading the way in contracted food services is Philadelph­ia-based Aramark Correction­al Services. Other prison food service firms include A’Viands Food & Services Management­, ABL Management­, and U.K.-based Compass Group’s Canteen Correction­al Services and Trinity Services Group.

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost