tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post5153858325889598692..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Private food vendor allegedly skimped on portions, switched to substandard ingredients, billed for unserved foodGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-49795476251883049972014-10-06T14:45:50.088-05:002014-10-06T14:45:50.088-05:00Here at Texas Jail Project we receive more complai...Here at Texas Jail Project we receive more complaints from Montgomery County than any other about the food being inedible and more like cat food than real meat. We did an ORR to get the menu that's supposedly approved by TCJS - which of course was a lovely Aramark document with descriptions that sounded fine. But showed that to inmates & they state both the volume & quality of food is completely erroneous compared to what they are actually served. And things like thorny burrs have been found in the food. So many inmates rely on family members sending them commissary money to survive, and many report medical conditions being highly exacerbated by poor nutrition. Emilyhttp://www.texasjailproject.org/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-8763456222918637662014-10-03T08:25:30.480-05:002014-10-03T08:25:30.480-05:00No data on this company but Dallas serves white br...No data on this company but Dallas serves white bread and Bologna sausage for all three meals to folk waiting to post bail.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-78362551733512528212013-07-23T12:27:16.375-05:002013-07-23T12:27:16.375-05:00On different but related issue- inmate phone servi...On different but related issue- inmate phone services need some serious investigation. I had a 19 min call awhile back. The call was billed at $4.94, with an added "processing fee" of $2.5 and 31 cents tax. But Securus, which is the carrier, charges another $5 to process the bill payment! Per their customer service, whenever one adds or takes out any money from that inmate account, there is that $5 fee. Paying the bill is "taking money out". So, total cost for that call? $4.94 plus $7.50 in fees, plus tax- $12.74. No more calls from TDCJ. <br /><br />I hear the FCC is considering new prison phone carrier rules.Phillip Bakernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-6153465279091620342013-07-23T12:21:28.835-05:002013-07-23T12:21:28.835-05:00I have known about Aramark's practices for a l...I have known about Aramark's practices for a long time. They are notorious for their bad practices. The portions of poor quality food is scandalous, but they let prison systems "save" money. As a result inmate families have to send more money to their loved ones, so they can buy stuff from commissary, yet another highly marked up, low quality money maker here in Texas. TDCJ's food portions have been significantly reduced, so Texas prisoners must do the same and buy from commissary- IF they can get the money. Texans are famously mean-spirited about prison conditions, but consider this: if you need money for food, there are ways to earn it, steal it, scam it. This partly accounts for some of the bad things that happen behind TDCJ walls. And those things wind up costing lots of money. Money being the sole motivator of any concern for inmates, maybe that'll catch their attention.Phillip Bakernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-26534287969520321052013-07-22T11:17:31.131-05:002013-07-22T11:17:31.131-05:00Here in Missouri, it is a fairly frequent practice...Here in Missouri, it is a fairly frequent practice to serve moldy and/or actually rotten food. About 3 weeks ago in one of the Level 5 prisons, they were served hot dogs that were, quite literally, spoiled and the guys refused to eat them. When it was pointed out to the CO in charge, his comment was, "We know, but we have to get rid of them." It is not at all unusual for the bread to be moldy. It being white bread, I always wonder how old it must be to actually be moldy. As for serving size, my kindergartner eats larger servings that they give these men. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-35352045401252102952013-07-22T10:53:37.111-05:002013-07-22T10:53:37.111-05:00No wonder the food (mostly casseroles) is so awful...No wonder the food (mostly casseroles) is so awful my son rarely eats it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-82858533567799200162013-07-22T05:32:11.040-05:002013-07-22T05:32:11.040-05:00Last I checked, the TDCJ food budget was around $....Last I checked, the TDCJ food budget was around $.54 per inmate meal. That may be why they haven't privatized. Not much profit margin at that rate.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-73417738275418359382013-07-21T19:35:58.382-05:002013-07-21T19:35:58.382-05:00I was once told by an Aramark rep that when feedin...I was once told by an Aramark rep that when feeding county prisoners, meals were less than a dollar a serving. Try that one at home!<br /><br />Been to the ball park lately? Aramark may be handling the food service.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com