On Sept. 26, about 20 adults in custody, including myself, were placed on call-outs to the visitation room for a townhall meeting with executive staff. It was a complete surprise to all of us. At the meeting, we were asked for any issues or problems that needed addressing. However, the assistant warden over medical immediately addressed the “elephant in the room” (her words not mine) and said we were NOT going to discuss any issues related to medical because it was in “crisis mode,” as it was nationwide.
We brought up the inability to communicate with our unit teams on a regular basis. They are inaccessible for everyday needs like administrative remedies and visitation applications. Another issue we voiced was food service. I told them that the food here is deplorable. I explained that since my arrival 18 months ago, the food service almost never follows the national menu, and when they do, the portions are absurdly small, cold and inedible. Currently, there are no fresh vegetables or fresh fruit available. And the protein portions or our meals are being diluted with canned vegetables as filler. Assistant Warden Branch interrupted to say that there is no money for better food because the business office took $300k from the inmate food budget and used for other purposes. (They claim it will be paid back once the next fiscal year’s budget is received. But that hasn’t happened. And meanwhile, we are being fed only what is available; they don’t have anything that’s on the national menu!) We then moved on to commissary, which is extremely short on items.
Since my arrival here, it has been obvious that something is wrong. Management said this is also due to the diversion of funds to other needs. In July, the commissary ran out of money and no more food could be puchased until more money comes. We asked how the commissary could run out of money when they charge a 30-40% markup on all our products.