Jail officials say proposal to limit daily meals for inmates would be ignored
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Erik D. Chellevold
A proposal in Madison that would give jails the discretion to feed inmates two meals a day instead of three would breach national nutritional standards for prisoners, jail officials in Rock and Walworth counties said Wednesday.
State Rep. Mark Radcliff, D-Black River Falls, is proposing a bill that would decrease the number of meals for state prison inmates and give county sheriffs the option to follow suit.
Radcliff said Wednesday he got the idea from a correctional officer in his hometown. The officer said a lot of food in the three meals is thrown away.
Radcliff said he estimates two meals a day in prisons would save the state $5 million annually, savings that could help retire the state deficit. Radcliff could not say how much money his proposal would save counties.
Rock County Jail Cmdr. Erik Chellevold said jails have baseline standards that must be met, including the number of calories provided daily to inmates.
“They’re going to have a hard time getting support for it,” Chellevold said. “It goes against best correctional practices, which call for three meals a day, two of them being hot.
“I don’t’ expect the sheriff (Bob Spoden) would follow that law,” he said.
Radcliff said inmates who need three meals a day for medical reasons, such as controlling blood sugar for diabetes, could get it with a doctor’s order.
Walworth County Jail Administrator Michael Schmitz doubts Sheriff David Graves would follow the law if it’s enacted.
“Why would the sheriff want to be told how to run the jail?” Schmitz asked. “It cuts into his power to run the jail.”
Meals keep jails tranquil, Schmitz said.
“Food is kind of important in regulating the safety and security of a building,” Schmitz said.
The average jail meal costs Walworth County $1.04. Last year, the county spent $350,588 serving about 337,103 meals, Schmitz said.
Schmitz questioned how reducing the number of daily meals would save money. Each meal would involve more food to maintain the daily requirement of calories. That likely would mean the cost of each meal would rise, killing any savings, he said.
Rock County served 427,249 jail meals last year at a cost of about $1.07 per meal for an annual expense of $457, 156, Chellevold said. Meals for both jails are funded by the counties.
“I don’t believe we’d save any money if we went down to two meals a day because we would have to serve larger portions to accommodate the daily calorie allowance—a minimum of 2,900 calories a day—and that would adjust the cost per meal upward,” Chellevold said.
Both jails follow best-practice standards followed by the American Correctional Standards Association.
Radcliff tried and failed to advance the meal measure in the last legislative session. He also offered the bill as an amendment to the budget repair bill. It was not accepted.
“I understand there are some initial questions about it, but it should save money,” he said.
Mar 2, 2012 at 10:40 a.m.
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The latest from Sheriff Joe (unrelated to this article):
http://www.wnd.com/2012/03/sheriff-joes-...
Mar 2, 2012 at 10:22 a.m.
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This just proves some democrats and some republicans are boneheads who do not consider the consequences of their ideas.
Mar 2, 2012 at 5:43 a.m.
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There are good and bad reasons for going to only two meals a day. First of all the three meals they serve a day now are aweful (having worked there I know) but the inmates still line up at chow time like they havent eaten in a week. Food is a huge bartering tool in jail and helps weaker people get bullied less. I agree that we should should charge them for their meals. In the winter time its not uncommon for many homeless people to break the law just to get sent to jail so they can get three meals a day. I also know cutting down to two meals a day would be much harder on jail staff because the inmates would be much more irritable which could actually create safety and security hazards. I think we should stay at three a day but charge them for it and perhaps more than it actually costs the jail. I see nothing wrong with the county trying to make a little money in some areas to help cut cost in others. After all, they are inmates and should be charged for ALL county expenses!!!
Mar 2, 2012 at 3:33 a.m.
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If you can't do the time then don't do the the crime. NoNo don't do it
Mar 2, 2012 at 12:09 a.m.
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several of you have commented,go back and read what you wrote,lol youre idiots.hahahahahhahahhahahahahaha
Mar 25, 2011 at 7:48 p.m.
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To the "officerfriendly" individual who keeps posting love letters about Arpaio in AZ. WI is not Arizona, having lived there for many years. Furthermore he a publicity hound and cares more about stunts than actual policing. He pines for the limelight and publicizes every thing he does. He is the target of zillions of lawsuits and is narcissistic megalomaniac. Yeah, lets do it like him.
Mar 25, 2011 at 7:07 p.m.
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gmaof3, you know nothing about God. You've never met him, never talked to him, never met anyone who knew him, never read anything he wrote with his own hand. For you to actually think you can paraphrase the person you claim as your savior demonstrates some real ignorance, fortitude and/or disrespect.
Mar 25, 2011 at 6:19 p.m.
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poobah, as a Christian, I also know God lays a heavy hand. Be it stoning or castration or scripture that states in the book of Matthew 5:
" 27“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29“If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30“If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell."
So to paraphrase... two meals sounds quite forgiving to me!
Mar 25, 2011 at 4:32 p.m.
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momx2, you are such a hypocrite. In a comment on another article you said, "I know GOD loves everyone..." and then here you say, "Why is it that in this country we cant do anything that may OFFEND anyone anymore????
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Well, if you are truly such a Christian person, the best answer for you can be found in Ephesians 4:32, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
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Why is it that I, as an atheist, have to remind a Christian why they should not offend others?
Mar 25, 2011 at 2:49 p.m.
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IF THEY REALLY WANT TO CUT BACK ,THEY NEED TO LET GO SOME MINOR DRUG OFFENDERS.SEND THEM TO REHAB,WHICH THEY PAY,AND LEGALIZE ALL SEED BEARING PLANTS.THE U.S AND STATE COULD SAVE ON COSTS.LIKE SOME GOVERMENT AND STATE,COUNTY,OFFICIALS. DEA,METRO,ETC,.LEGALIZATION IS THE FUTURE.FOOD CLOTHING,FUEL,PAPER,MEDICAL,ETC.SAVE BIG MONEY.THEY DONT CARE ABOUT ARE HEALTH OR EDUCATION.JUST MONEY AND POWER.
Mar 25, 2011 at 2:34 p.m.
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The proposal may not be a good idea, but it envokes thought. I think it is wrong to apply it as a 'republican' moronicity as OREALLY suggests. (is that your tag also?) I think we should charge them for the food, or at least look for some reciprocity, without diminishing their nutrition. Janesvillean commented previously that I was or was not willing to contribute to the jail expansion. Where did that come from? Another left wing loose association perhaps? I could think of numerous ways to save money without cutting any required attributes in the system. How many people does it take to figure this out anyway? Why is it wrong to want to cut uneeded expenses?
Mar 25, 2011 at 11:54 a.m.
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why not make the prisoner pay the 1.07 a meal?
when you get out you owe for what you ate!
jail should not be a free stay for the criminal and another tax headache for the public.
Mar 25, 2011 at 9:41 a.m.
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Cold cereal for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly or cheese sandwich for lunch and chipped beef for dinner. Every day of the week. These people are prisonsers they are not guests at the Hilton.
Mar 25, 2011 at 9:25 a.m.
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Why is it that in this country we cant do anything that may OFFEND anyone anymore??? I am so sick of politicaly correct. You realize these people are in jail because they broke the law. The way I see it they have it better than any of us. They dont have to pay bills and they get 3 good meals a day. What happened to the day of bread and water and the chain gangs?? Oh wait that was offensive so we had to stop doing that. If you break the law and are sentenced to jail then we should just treat you well so you will want to come back cuz life here is pretty good. Make jail suck so they learn a lesson. You dont need 3 meals a day and you need to do some hard labor to know what it is really like in the real world.
Mar 25, 2011 at 12:54 a.m.
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I see nothing wrong on two meals a day, except for those who need three meals a day to keep a heathy balance in their diet.
As for my self I only eat two meals a day.
I do suggest that for the prisoners that maybe instead of a third meal maybe in the evening they could have say some kind of a desert.
Mar 24, 2011 at 6:39 p.m.
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I really don't have much of an opinion on this except to say that feeding someone twice a day is hardly starving them. There are people in the world who are lucky to eat twice a week.
Mar 24, 2011 at 6:21 p.m.
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This is America, people! We don't starve anybody here.
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This proposal only goes to show that Republicans don't have a lock on moronicity.
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