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The next speaker was Representative Brent Yonts who spoke in favor of 10 RS BR 114 relating to eliminating private food service at state prisons. Representative Yonts was accompanied by Mr. Daniel Ball, a corrections officer from Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, Mr. Ron Jackson, a corrections officer from Western Kentucky Correctional Complex, and Mr. Matthew Hughes, a correctional officer from Northpoint Training Center. Representative Yonts presented a list of complaints which he has received from prisoners and staff at all of the prisons in Kentucky with regard to the food service contracted by the state. Representative Yonts said the reported problems included shortages of food, water and flour added to food, food thinned to the point where it was nothing but thin soup, running out of food, continually using leftover food, chicken and turkey products used in lieu of other meat, small portions, dirty kitchens, dirty serving areas, and other complaints. Representative Yonts indicated that prisoners are fed for $2.63 per day per person. Representative Yonts indicated that other complaints involved worms in soup at Green River Correctional Complex, recipes calling for 60 pounds of food reduced to 20 pounds at Eddyville, and human feces in burritos, complaints of feces in brownies at Blackburn Correctional Complex, and potato salad spilled on the floor, scooped up, and served to inmates.
Mr. Hughes, a correctional officer from Northpoint, indicated correctional officers are frequently used to assist in food preparation and service, creating a line shortage of guards. Other information presented showed that at Northpoint, 69.25% of inmates eat most of the time, 51% get enough food to eat, 42% did not get enough food to eat, that pieces of cardboard have been served in the food, that recipes are not followed, flies, gnats, mice, rodents and other vermin are found in food preparation and storage areas, and that despite repeated complaints from inmates, the Commissioner of Corrections may not know what is happening because staff conceal the complaints and the true situation.
Mr. Daniel Ball from EKCC indicated that the food preparation areas contain cockroaches, ants, etc., the vendor of the food has watered down the food and juices, and that inmates turn to gambling and borrowing to obtain foods from the canteen and that those foods are sold at inflated prices. Mr. Ball observed that these conditions result in gangs, debts, loan operations, fights, and inmate injuries. Mr. Ball also indicated that radios do not work, that there are not enough handcuffs, there is not enough OC (pepper spray) and other supplies are in short supply. Mr. Ball commented that he no longer eats the food because he was tired of getting sick, that food illnesses have caused guard shortages, that even though the vendor has saved the Department of Corrections money, these savings are overshadowed by protective custody costs, medical bills, and other problems resulting from fights over debts owed by inmates who cannot repay the high costs of food at the canteen, causing repeated security problems. Other information presented included hospitalization of inmates from Northpoint for food borne illnesses and that surveys indicated 78% of inmates complained about food quality, 45% indicated they have become sick from the food, food has run out 75% of the time, conservation officers have been used in food service operations 51% of the time, and 71% of respondents indicated the poor food quality presents a safety risk. Representative Yonts indicated that complaints are not acted upon, that inmates may file a second grievance on the same subject only once every six months, and that the committee is unlikely to receive a straight answer about the cause of the riot at Northpoint.
The next speaker was Mr. Matthew Hughes, a correctional officer from Northpoint with 10 years of experience in corrections, including one year at Eddyville and one year at Northpoint. Mr. Hughes indicated that between his experience at Eddyville and Northpoint, he has encountered green hotdogs, greasy bologna wiped off with a towel, hard meatballs, and watered rice that looked like gruel. Mr. Hughes described conditions at Northpoint as having open dorms, a lot of freedom for the inmates, inmates who can smoke, and that the lockdown following a fight was not the real cause of the riot, but that the food was. He described the food as “atrocious”, that roaches are on the floor, dirty conditions abound, food service personnel do not wear hair nets or gloves, and that inmates get mad about the poor food quality, get mad at the guards, and then riot. Mr. Hughes commented the canteen is owned by the food vendor, cigarettes cost $6.10 per pack, a small can of ham is $5, and there are similarly inflated prices for other items as well. Inmates who work do not make enough to pay the canteen prices, relatives cannot send enough money to meet inmate canteen needs, and inmates must borrow from other inmates to make canteen purchases. Mr. Hughes described cigarettes as a means of payment for loans and that when an inmate cannot repay a loan, other inmates to whom the loans are owed punish the inmate by attacking the inmate. Inmates also are stealing food from the cafeteria and kitchen and must be patted down by guards upon leaving which also causes problems and Mr. Hughes pointed out that when the vending machines in the visitor area work, which they frequently do not, visitors cannot afford to pay the high prices charged.
Senator Westwood asked whether the prison food service facilities were inspected by local health departments to which the response was that health inspections are scheduled in advance and that with advance notice of the inspections, the facilities are cleaned up for the day of the inspection and properly prepared food is served. The comment was made that “you just can't walk into a prison” to make an inspection followed by the observation that the same procedure is followed when representatives of the American Correctional Association visit to rate the prison for accreditation purposes. This was followed by the comment that things return to “normal” the day after the inspection
Representative Bell indicated that even in private industry, some facilities with community influence are rarely inspected and that there is advance notice of the inspections. Representative Moberly asked about the attitude of the chain of command at the institutions to which Mr. Hughes responded that in one instance, an inmate had a seizure in his cell and when the officer responded, the officer's radio did not work and aid had to be summoned by a person going to the control center. When the officer wanted to insert in his report that aid was delayed because of a dead battery, he was told that a dead battery could not be mentioned in the report. Mr. Hughes indicated that the guards and the chain of command knew that prisoners at Northpoint were planning a riot two weeks before its occurrence. Representative Moberly indicated that the same vendor operates the food service at Eastern Kentucky University and that the food is good because the university monitors the food service operations closely. Several members of the committee urged the co-chairs to hold a special meeting on the prison food service problems and secure testimony from the Department of Corrections, from the vendor, from guards, and from other interested parties and that reluctant parties be subpoenaed and that testimony be taken under oath at the hearing (please read part 2 for the rest of the story)
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