Food service

February 14, 2015 9,983

Ohio quietly recommends new contract with troubled private food contractor Aramark

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) has recommended the state sign a new two-year contract with the for-profit food vendor, Aramark. The ODRC did not announce the recommendation, which was actually completed last year. The Associated Press got wind of it only after “a records request said the prisons department was satisfied with Aramark’s performance and wanted to renew despite issues with the contract.” Those “issues” refer to the [Continue reading]

September 16, 2014 0

Ohio Prison Inspection Committee Makes Preliminary Recommendations to Aramark

Ohio is taking baby steps towards improving food service in prisons served by Aramark. The state’s Correctional Institution Inspection Committee (CIIC) has published preliminary recommendations for Aramark. Some of them are punitive and include measures that go beyond what other contractors might expect. But others point to Aramark’s failure to do the most basic tasks required in food service. Several of CIIC executive Joanna Saul’s recommendations should be routine at any [Continue reading]

August 29, 2014 5

State Rep. Hagan Tours Ohio Private Immigrant Prison After Nearly 250 Inmates Protest Conditions and Treatment

Ohio State Rep. Bob Hagan continues to push Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) for answers about its handling of a recent incident at the for-profit Northeast Ohio Correctional Center (NEOCC) in which 248 prisoners waged a 14-hour nonviolent protest against their treatment and conditions. After he was denied entry in the hours after the August 12th protest, Hagan was invited back to the prison last Friday for a tour. He was also given the opportunity to evaluate security camera footage [Continue reading]

August 25, 2014 1

Cold Meals Only for Prisoners at Benton County Jail

5NEWSOnline reports that Benton County Jail will continue to provide only cold meals to its inmates for a variety of reasons, all of which are absurd and wildly offensive. Let’s run through them, starting with perhaps the most honest reason of them all: “I’ts [sic] food,” said Keshia Guyll, with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office. “Would I want to eat it every day? Probably not. But, you know, this is a jail. They are here for a reason.” [/snip] “We wanted people to know [Continue reading]

August 14, 2014 0

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder Shuts Press and Public Out of Aramark Prison Food Controversy

In both Michigan and Ohio, Aramark stands accused of unsanitary food service conditions and meal shortages. Ohio announced it is developing plans to invite health inspectors into its prison kitchens to evaluate “cleanliness and food safety, just like restaurants” — a much-needed buffer of oversight for the prison food supply in that state. But Michigan is moving in the totally opposite direction. The Detroit Free Press reports that Governor Snyder is taking oversight of [Continue reading]

Ohio Reformatory for Women at Marysville

August 12, 2014 0

Maggots Are The Only Ones Eating Well at Prisons Served By Aramark

The Columbus Dispatch reported yesterday that maggots were found in prisoners’ food once again at the Ohio Reformatory for Women at Marysville during a pre-meal inspection. Last week, 1,000 prisoners at the facility dumped their meals to protest the abysmal quality of food provided by the private contractor Aramark. Corrections departments in Michigan and Ohio have fined Aramark approximately $570,000 this year for unsanitary food conditions and supply shortages at multiple [Continue reading]