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Prison brunches to save money, time

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Illinois

* Some state prisons are now serving two meals a day instead of three…

Feeding prisoners is a lot of work — not only cooking and cleaning up, but moving inmates from cells or dorms over to the mess hall.

Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman Tom Shaer says at some prisons, breakfast is served at 4 a.m., which means moving inmates in the dark. […]

But the John Howard Association, an independent prison watchdog, cautions that in Ohio, a similar brunch program caused health problems among inmates who hadn’t eaten enough to property digest their medication.

An official with AFSCME, the union that represents prison guards, says brunch is OK as long as it’s properly staffed and there’s enough food to meet inmates’ dietary needs.

* Meanwhile, late Friday, IDOC’s Tom Shaer responded to a Thursday post about there being no more prison dogs…

In yesterday’s entry, you wrote as fact something that is not true and about which IDOC was not asked:

Without those dogs, the guards have to do the cell and visitor searches on their own, so contraband could get by them.

This is incorrect. IDOC regularly uses dogs to search for contraband. As I’ve told other media, we have arrangements with local police and county sheriff departments for use of canines. The IDOC K-9 positions were eliminated because they weren’t necessary, as we still use dogs whenever we have a need.

—–Also, regarding this:

*** UPDATE *** From AFSCME’s Anders Lindall in comments…

Due to staff cuts, Tower One at Robinson is closed save for three approximately hourlong periods each day. Contrary to Shaer’s claim, frontline employees at Robinson report that Tower One is located just 200 yards from where the escape occurred and has a direct line of sight over the area.

This is incorrect. According to the Robinson CC Warden, two IDOC chiefs and a Lieutenant involved the search, no guard tower has direct line of sight to the normally unused area from which inmate work trustee Jared Carter walked away. As you know, Robinson is a minimum-security facility and Carter had clearance to be outside the walls, always supervised. There had not been a walk-away or other escape from Illinois prisons in years. Security at Robinson CC and throughout IDOC is effective, which is why we do not have these occurrences.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 10:34 am

Comments

“Feeding prisoners is a lot of work”

No kidding.

Do your job. Feed them 3 times a day, especially in light of the evidence from Ohio and their similar attempt to do this.

These are human beings, not pets or livestock.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 10:37 am
Is that the same Tom Shaer who was the “happy news” sports guy back in the day?

How’d he land the IDOC gig? Unusual career path.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 10:39 am
It’s bad. on Thursday nights they serve a wicked pepper steak.

Can’t be as bad as the cabbage rolls in the Terre Haute federal pen.

Or that oatmeal at the Cook County slammer.

Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 10:46 am
We’re feeding our prisoners only twice a day? What century is this? Sure, I get that the total calories and nutrition are ok, but in this instance, as in so many others lately, we are reminded that our Illinois correctional system is totally broken. Great job, Illinois state government. And AFSCME should be ashamed of itself.

Comment by Cassandra Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 10:46 am
- 47th Ward -,

“Yeah, there all pretty bad…”

To the Post,

Brunch?

Do you get the Omlette Station and the Roast Beef and mash potatoes next to each other?

Are Mimosas still available?

Can they get French Toast AND Chicken Caserole on the tray too?

“Brunch”?

Isn’t Brunch the preferred meal to meet the “future in-laws”?

Geez Louise, who decided to call it “brunch?”??

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 10:53 am
Maybe Quinn can cut of funding to UNO with its corruption and feed prisoners. The two new board members of UNO brought in to clean up the mess resigned. This was announced late Friday to get the least amount of coverage possible and it worked. Quinn won’t cut funding to this corrupt organization because of the votes they control.

Comment by Fed up Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 10:55 am
Shaer can’t be trusted.

It’s a harsh statement, and perhaps unfair, but unless Quinn allows media access to prisons to verify the daily drip of rumors and wrongdoing that the media get from AFSCME it’s his word against theirs, and quite frankly, there’s a lot more of them.

The problem is that any reporter who has dealt with IDOC at least twice knows they’ve been lied to at least once.

Comment by Downstate Illinois Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 11:01 am
“There had not been a walk-away or other escape from Illinois prisons in years. Security at Robinson CC and throughout IDOC is effective, which is why we do not have these occurrences.”

No walkaways or escapes in years…except the guy at East Moline who went over the wall…and the guy in Hill who was found outside the grounds (that he media didn’t report)…and all the walk aways from the work release sites that were subsequently eliminated. FOIA that info if you’re bored.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 11:12 am
I can tell you first hand, the inmates do not like brunch and only being fed twice a day. And I know some of will say so what, who cares right. Well its going to get staff hurt. I can not believe that it hasn’t happened already. Listen well everybody this will get people hurt.

Comment by Rob Roy Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 11:16 am
-47th Ward-

I’ll have an orange whip.

Comment by Old Shepherd Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 11:24 am
The escape from behind the fence of a closed security prison at East Moline, under this (Godinez)administration, was the first of this kind since the early 1990’s.

Comment by Deputy dog Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 11:35 am
Our prisons are far from the days when our founding fathers put people in stocks in the public square. That being said, I get tired of my Republican friends who keep stupidly comparing prison cook wages to private wages (such as McDonalds workers)

If their little tummies are upset, too bad- its prison.

Comment by Liberty First Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 11:40 am
If the way we are going to punish people for wrong-doing (not trying to say that is not the correct way to pumish) is to lock them up with no means of getting food except for either the commissary or the cafeteria, then we have to feed them appropriately. That’s not at 4 AM unless they work at a 3rd shift job in the prison. That is also not limiting them to two meals a day because its inconvenient to do otherwise.

If we want to go back to allowing friends and family to bring them extra food, treats, etc., or if we want to allow them to order food from the grocery store to be delivered, then its a different story. But, we don’t, and there are legimate reasons for not doing so.

Comment by mythoughtis Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 11:52 am
Spellcheck or edit, please, Rich.

punish, not pumish

Comment by mythoughtis Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 11:53 am
Deputy, Godinez takes his orders from Quinn

Comment by Rob Roy Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 11:56 am
everyone eats brunch and most people skip breakfast. If the prisoners need to eat with medication bring them a granola bar. At a time when kids and parents and teachers who didn’t break the law are getting their schools closed there’s no sympathy here.

tough.

Comment by shore Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 11:56 am
“Brunch”

Such a charming way to characterize “33% fewer meals.”

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 11:57 am
Could the prison provide them with one simple meal that could be eaten in their cells and then the other two in the mess hall?

Comment by wayward Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 12:29 pm
According to that spokesman, it isn’t necessary to have a K9 Unit, but they will bring local dogs in when needed?

So it isn’t necessary unless it is necessary? Huh? What? And this guy is their spokesman?

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 1:03 pm
You know, if these pols wouldnt criminalize everything maybe we could reduce the prison pop… Yes there are violent criminals that should be locked up, then there are those that aren’t.

Maybe just focus on locking up those that need to be kept away from other people for risk of harm to others.

Comment by RonOglesby Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 1:57 pm
That is sort of my like me saying “I don’t need a car since my brother has one and in a pinch I can borrow it….

Using that logic I guess we should only have 2 or 3 K9 Units in the whole state. What happens when the local agency needs their K9 unit for something and you want to ‘borrow’ it?

Comment by Oneman Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 5:52 pm
OneMan, that has the ghost of Filan “managing and budgeting” all over it, eh?

Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 7:45 pm
Idoc is just one disaster after another under Godinez. Shaer can try and spin Inept and Incompetence however he wants. It’s gonna end up costing PQ the election unless change happens quickly in this Agency.

Comment by Barney Fife Monday, Sep 16, 13 @ 9:10 pm