MEALS BEHIND BARS

[TexasStooge]

By Amie Streater , StarTelegram Staff Writer

It's Friday, burrito day. A good day for the palates of Tarrant County Jail inmates.

As expected, inmates are less than thrilled with the three meals they are served each day by Mid-States Services Inc.

Fish patties, chicken-fried steak, bologna and cheese sandwiches, Salisbury steak and, according to one female inmate, "something that tastes like it wants to be sirloin."

But the burritos, served with white rice, pinto beans, two slices of bread, two sandwich cookies and a tiny packet of taco sauce, are a highlight in the rotation.

"At least there's some protein," said inmate Toni McMurray, 31, of the bean-paste-filled burritos. "They gotta stop feeding us all this starch."

[Derek Ortt]

They should be fortunate that they are getting what they do. They should be lucky they are not being served moldy bread and ocean water

[rainstorm]

very true

[StormCrazyIowan]

LOL, they certainly don't have any right to be complaining!

[TexasStooge]

They should be fortunate that they are getting what they do. They should be lucky they are not being served moldy bread and ocean water

Yeah, it could've been worse.

[azsnowman]

HEY.......send 'em to Sheriff Joe in Phoenix, the main meals in *Tent City?* Green Bologna, on dry, white bread, no condiments what so ever and water, that's IT!

Dennis

[TexasStooge]

HEY.......send 'em to Sheriff Joe in Phoenix, the main meals in *Tent City?* Green Bologna, on dry, white bread, no condiments what so ever and water, that's IT!

Dennis

LOL!

[blizzard]

It amazes me the rights that inmates think that they should receive, and in most cases do receive. Give 'em green bologna they lost their rights when they broke the law

[opera ghost]

Cruel and unusual punishement guys... A balanced diet should be encouraged- the last thing we need is to be paying out of pocket for the medical expenses of treating thousands of malnutritioned inmates...

They get basic medical, basic room and boarding. The restriction of movement is the punishment- not malnutrition. (Although I'll be deuced if they're going to eat better than I do! Save me a burrito! )

[Pburgh]

What amazes me is that my Mom does not have air conditioning in her home, she's 82, and some of these prisons are air conditioned. What's wrong with this picture????

Give them fruit, veggies, and bologna (not necessarily green).

No Televisions either ----------

[GalvestonDuck]

LOL! I've always wondered about the phrase "cruel and unusual." Cruel, I can understand. Unusual? What is that -- like tarring and feathering someone? Painting them blue? Making them listen to hour upon hour of Tom Jones - "It's not unusual to be..."

[Pburgh]

LOL

[opera ghost]

LOL! I've always wondered about the phrase "cruel and unusual." Cruel, I can understand. Unusual? What is that -- like tarring and feathering someone? Painting them blue? Making them listen to hour upon hour of Tom Jones - "It's not unusual to be..."

I've never been quite sure myself... but I'd guess it would be anything that doesn't harm them... that we're not already doing? A day in the stocks? Being forced to stand on the street corner with a sign that says... "Hit me with a tomato! I am a thief!" and putting a basket of tomatos there for people to hit him with? *thinks* Some of my mom's most unusual/cruel punishments included forcing me to sit impossibly still and listen to classical music for 2 hours (That was for using profanities as an 8 year old...) Being forced to EAT one of my kitchen creations that I kept feeding my little sister (making her ill with food poisioning) turned out I have a stronger stomach than her... and sorting worms (fishing) into big and small for using my sister as bait for snapping turtles (we caught two!) I hate worms. Ew.

You can get pretty darn unusual and cruel *grins*

[TexasStooge]

LOL!

[blizzard]

Cruel and unusual punishement guys... A balanced diet should be encouraged- the last thing we need is to be paying out of pocket for the medical expenses of treating thousands of malnutritioned inmates...

They get basic medical, basic room and boarding. The restriction of movement is the punishment- not malnutrition. (Although I'll be deuced if they're going to eat better than I do! Save me a burrito! )

They get better medical and room and board than most Americans.
When they have more priveledges and eat better than most of the general population, it gets kind of ridiculous. I say it entices people to become chronic criminals. They can get a warm bed, good, hot meals and a roof over there head, all for nothing. Sure beats living on the streets or in the slums. Add to that cable television, free college education, excercise rooms that equate to a health spa that I would have to pay $$ for each month. They live better than I do.

[azsnowman]

Well like I said, Sheriff Joe Arpiao, Maricopa County Az......"IS" the toughest sheriff in the lower 48! Not only do his inmates sleep outside in tents WITHOUT air conditioning, makes 'em eat dry, green bologna......they have to wear pink underwear, no stuff mags, no tv unless it's news, no cigarettes, I mean.....this is ONE TOUGH dude! "Sheriff Joe for President!"

Dennis

[j]

Why don't we just feed these low lifes what we feed our own Armed Forces in the field.

[blizzard]

Talk about cruel and Unusual......Field rations are just that.

"T" rations, MREs, AAAuuuggghhhhh

[Pburgh]

AMEN Blizzard, j and Dennis, I'm with you guys. They have it way too easy. Prison is to be a punishment for a crime committed - not a free ride where you get all your teeth fixed, become physically fit and earn your college diploma. I had to work really hard to get my kids thru college. No free ride for them, they worked too!!!!!

[sunnyday]

I can't remember the website, but I came across it while helping a student do a paper on capital punishment. We found a site from the Texas Dept. of Corrections, and it listed the food that the death row guys requested for their last meal. It was odd, to say the least. Some wanted every food known to man; others requested Frosted Flakes.