public servant
Grandmaster
[FONT=arial, helvetica][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Indiana prison stops serving lunch three days a week[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Serif]Civil rights groups, lawmakers critical of program at Plainfield eliminating midday meal 3 days a week
[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
By John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com [/FONT] [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]The inmates at Plainfield Correctional Facility can't be accused of getting a free lunch.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Or any lunch at all. At least on some days.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]The medium security prison in Hendricks County has eliminated lunch on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays -- part of a pilot program that could go statewide.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]http://www.in.gov/idoc/" target="_blank">The Indiana Department of Correction insists it's not about saving money but what's in the best interest of prisoners. Officials say they have received few complaints since rolling out the changes last month.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]But others, including civil rights organizations and lawmakers, are highly skeptical of any benefits -- and think it's potentially dangerous.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Because of tight budgets, a handful of other states have cut meals to save money. But Indiana prison officials said the driving force here was to give prisoners more classroom and recreational time.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]"Serving meals is a time-consuming effort that takes hours," Indiana Department of Correction spokesman Doug Garrison said. "By eliminating one meal, we are able to operate our programs more efficiently."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Plainfield Correctional spokesman Kevin Mulroony said two square meals a day provide the same calories -- 2,500 -- as three meals. Breakfast and lunch are combined into what is being called "brunch" -- but is predominantly breakfast food served at 6 a.m. Dinner is served 10 hours later, at 4 p.m. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Mulroony said the new schedule frees up weekends for education classes, religious services and family visits for the inmates, who often have busy schedules into the night.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]But the Republican chairman of the state Senate corrections and criminal subcommittee said he can see few benefits in such a drastic change.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]"We should treat our inmate population like human beings," said Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel. "Denying food or cutting back on meals is beneath the dignity of the state of Indiana and is not in sync with our Hoosier values. It is my hope that the corrections officials will come before us and reassure us that they are treating the prisoners in a humane way."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]State Rep. Bill Crawford, D-Indianapolis, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he doubts that the prisoners are still getting their recommended calories.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]"I'd like to see an accounting of that," Crawford said.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]A review of four weeks of menus reveals that the prisoners are getting shortchanged a main-course item each Friday, Saturday and Sunday.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]For example, during the first week of the pilot program, the four lunch main courses were goulash, bologna, taco meat and sloppy Joes. At weekend brunch, they were bologna, peanut butter, and oatmeal and sausage. Dinners remained generally the same -- one main course.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Mulroony acknowledged that traditional lunch offerings such as chicken quarters and meat with macaroni and cheese were missing at brunch. But he said the heavier foods aren't included because they are served just as early as breakfast.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]"You try to serve more breakfast-type items because the offenders are still eating at 6 in the morning," he said.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Although prison officials said they were not trying to cut expenses when they made the move, the private contractor that handles food service for prisons has had trouble staying within its promised budget since landing the $258 million, 10-year deal in 2005.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]At the time, Aramark boasted that it would save the state $11 million and cut the average cost of a meal from $1.41 to 99 cents. But since then, it has exceeded its projected annual budget increase of 6 percent.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]The company told the committee that rising gas prices had driven up the cost of food and that the rising prison population was increasing its expenses.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]The DOC's food service allocation jumped from $28.9 million for 2009 to $36 million for 2010 and to $40 million for 2011, according to the House Ways and Means Committee.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Aramark was provided a list of written questions by The Indianapolis Star but referred all inquiries about the program to the DOC.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Whatever the reason for cutting meals, advocates for inmates' rights think it is dangerous to tinker with a prisoner's food.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Elizabeth Alexander, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project, said cutting lunch creates "a tremendous gap between meals."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]"Making prisoners go hungry for long periods is not the way to solve anything," she said. "Food is not the place to make cuts, especially since it is such a small percentage of a prison's budget."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Food service accounts for about 5 percent of DOC's $726 million budget in 2010.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Skipping meals can be dangerous for certain inmates, such as those with diabetes and hepatitis. But Mulroony said 33 inmates with special needs still receive regular lunches on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]He said there have been few complaints from the 1,600 inmates about the change.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Gil Holmes, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, said the organization was aware of the change but had not received any complaints from prisoners.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Until it does, the ACLU of Indiana probably won't take any action, Holmes said.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]The DOC said the pilot program would last an indefinite length of time and is being reviewed to determine other prisons where it might work. Eventually, all 30 prisons in the system could switch to the new eating schedule, Garrison said.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]And, DOC officials said, inmates can always get chips, cookies and Ramen noodles in the commissary to tide them over between meals. Prisoners have to pay for those.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]"You'd be amazed at what prisoners can do with a bag of Ramen," Mulroony said. "It's good as anything served in a restaurant."[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Serif]Civil rights groups, lawmakers critical of program at Plainfield eliminating midday meal 3 days a week
[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
By John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com [/FONT] [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]The inmates at Plainfield Correctional Facility can't be accused of getting a free lunch.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Or any lunch at all. At least on some days.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]The medium security prison in Hendricks County has eliminated lunch on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays -- part of a pilot program that could go statewide.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]http://www.in.gov/idoc/" target="_blank">The Indiana Department of Correction insists it's not about saving money but what's in the best interest of prisoners. Officials say they have received few complaints since rolling out the changes last month.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]But others, including civil rights organizations and lawmakers, are highly skeptical of any benefits -- and think it's potentially dangerous.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Because of tight budgets, a handful of other states have cut meals to save money. But Indiana prison officials said the driving force here was to give prisoners more classroom and recreational time.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]"Serving meals is a time-consuming effort that takes hours," Indiana Department of Correction spokesman Doug Garrison said. "By eliminating one meal, we are able to operate our programs more efficiently."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Plainfield Correctional spokesman Kevin Mulroony said two square meals a day provide the same calories -- 2,500 -- as three meals. Breakfast and lunch are combined into what is being called "brunch" -- but is predominantly breakfast food served at 6 a.m. Dinner is served 10 hours later, at 4 p.m. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Mulroony said the new schedule frees up weekends for education classes, religious services and family visits for the inmates, who often have busy schedules into the night.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]But the Republican chairman of the state Senate corrections and criminal subcommittee said he can see few benefits in such a drastic change.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]"We should treat our inmate population like human beings," said Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel. "Denying food or cutting back on meals is beneath the dignity of the state of Indiana and is not in sync with our Hoosier values. It is my hope that the corrections officials will come before us and reassure us that they are treating the prisoners in a humane way."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]State Rep. Bill Crawford, D-Indianapolis, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he doubts that the prisoners are still getting their recommended calories.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]"I'd like to see an accounting of that," Crawford said.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]A review of four weeks of menus reveals that the prisoners are getting shortchanged a main-course item each Friday, Saturday and Sunday.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]For example, during the first week of the pilot program, the four lunch main courses were goulash, bologna, taco meat and sloppy Joes. At weekend brunch, they were bologna, peanut butter, and oatmeal and sausage. Dinners remained generally the same -- one main course.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Mulroony acknowledged that traditional lunch offerings such as chicken quarters and meat with macaroni and cheese were missing at brunch. But he said the heavier foods aren't included because they are served just as early as breakfast.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]"You try to serve more breakfast-type items because the offenders are still eating at 6 in the morning," he said.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Although prison officials said they were not trying to cut expenses when they made the move, the private contractor that handles food service for prisons has had trouble staying within its promised budget since landing the $258 million, 10-year deal in 2005.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]At the time, Aramark boasted that it would save the state $11 million and cut the average cost of a meal from $1.41 to 99 cents. But since then, it has exceeded its projected annual budget increase of 6 percent.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]The company told the committee that rising gas prices had driven up the cost of food and that the rising prison population was increasing its expenses.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]The DOC's food service allocation jumped from $28.9 million for 2009 to $36 million for 2010 and to $40 million for 2011, according to the House Ways and Means Committee.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Aramark was provided a list of written questions by The Indianapolis Star but referred all inquiries about the program to the DOC.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Whatever the reason for cutting meals, advocates for inmates' rights think it is dangerous to tinker with a prisoner's food.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Elizabeth Alexander, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project, said cutting lunch creates "a tremendous gap between meals."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]"Making prisoners go hungry for long periods is not the way to solve anything," she said. "Food is not the place to make cuts, especially since it is such a small percentage of a prison's budget."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Food service accounts for about 5 percent of DOC's $726 million budget in 2010.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Skipping meals can be dangerous for certain inmates, such as those with diabetes and hepatitis. But Mulroony said 33 inmates with special needs still receive regular lunches on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]He said there have been few complaints from the 1,600 inmates about the change.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Gil Holmes, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, said the organization was aware of the change but had not received any complaints from prisoners.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]Until it does, the ACLU of Indiana probably won't take any action, Holmes said.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]The DOC said the pilot program would last an indefinite length of time and is being reviewed to determine other prisons where it might work. Eventually, all 30 prisons in the system could switch to the new eating schedule, Garrison said.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]And, DOC officials said, inmates can always get chips, cookies and Ramen noodles in the commissary to tide them over between meals. Prisoners have to pay for those.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica]"You'd be amazed at what prisoners can do with a bag of Ramen," Mulroony said. "It's good as anything served in a restaurant."[/FONT]
