Labor & Economy
Hell’s Kitchens: Privatized Prison Mess Halls

Remember when maggots were found in potatoes about to be served at a Michigan prison? That was just the tip of the iceberg.
A new report released this week details widespread cost-cutting by the food service company Aramark, whose contract was terminated by that state last year. Kitchens were not only unsanitary but dangerous. The company hired inexperienced staff, allowing prisoners to steal makeshift weapons and control the lunch line. Food shortages were especially common.
Michigan eventually replaced Aramark with a new contractor, but the report comes to an unambiguous conclusion: The underlying problems that ended the contract are “likely to resurface under any contract relationship.”
This is because, in a drive for profits, private corrections companies like Aramark routinely cut corners to lower costs. In private prisons, this drive often leads to more prison violence, lawsuits and staff turnover. Companies claim they’ll be more “efficient” than the government, but Michigan’s problems show that dangerous conditions, low quality food and shortages are what this efficiency really looks like.
The state’s new contractor, Trinity, isn’t doing much better.
Since taking over for Aramark last August, the company has already had 59 of its kitchen employees fired and subjected to “stop orders,” banning them from prison property for a variety of infractions. Two weeks ago nearly 1,000 prisoners at an upstate facility protested by refusing to eat food served by Trinity. Prisoners at another Michigan facility held a similar protest last Monday.
Introducing for-profit companies into America’s criminal justice system has been a bad deal for both prisoners and governments. Michigan is just the latest tragic example.
-
Latest NewsMay 9, 2022
There’s a Real, Live Plan to End Poverty in California
-
State of InequalityMay 5, 2022
High-Deductible Health Plans Make Income Inequality Worse
-
Who Killed Overtime Pay?May 12, 2022
You Probably Aren’t Getting Paid Overtime. Here’s Why.
-
The 50-100 Pay GapMay 2, 2022
Forced Arbitration Is Making It Harder for Low-Wage Workers to Seek Justice
-
Greening the California EconomyApril 28, 2022
Who Will Build California’s Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and Why It Matters
-
Latest NewsMay 18, 2022
Inflation Dealing a Gut Punch to Money-Strapped Californians
-
Cyber WallsMay 3, 2022
L.A. County Seeks Bids to Bring High-Speed Internet to Poor Black, Latino Areas
-
Who Killed Overtime Pay?May 10, 2022
Overworked and Underpaid