From Truthout:
Since my incarceration began in 2004, I have been housed at three different women’s facilities in Georgia. During the first 15 years, I have often been pat-searched as I leave dining halls to ensure I’m not in possession of any food from my tray. At the end of each shift, kitchen workers were formerly required to throw away pans and pans of unserved food. Knowing that food was being intentionally wasted, people often tried to smuggle an item from our meager portion back to our cellblock for later. But this was prohibited, and if discovered, could have resulted in a write-up for theft, and lead to sanctions or isolation. The message was clear: You are not worthy of fulfillment. Incarcerated people must stay in a perpetual state of need, desperate for their humanity and vulnerable to coercion and abuse.
A lot has changed over the last five years in women’s services in Georgia prisons. The food service is no exception. It has never been good, but now it is deplorable. For one thing, the portions are always shamefully small. As a result of grave issues with food storage in prisons, I have personally seen roach legs in cornbread and rats climbing over the dry goods in the warehouse.
Additionally, the meals are poorly prepared — beans are half cooked, eggs are scorched and everything is cold. The food is sometimes inedible and always difficult to swallow. No one is searched leaving the dining hall anymore. There is a staff shortage in the Department of Corrections, so there isn’t enough staffing to micromanage meal times, but no one takes food from their tray unless they absolutely have nothing else to eat. Anyone who can will avoid meals altogether by eating commissary food or food from their work details. Continue reading >>>
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