Chapter 13

1. Chapter 13 Food Service

2. Objectives • Explain the training requirements for food service departments and outline the process of food preparation and storage • Describe the main security challenges posed by food service operations in prisons and jails • Explore the various methods used to serve meals to inmates

3. Introduction • Poor kitchen management can result in negative reactions from the inmate population • Food service operation is subject to more scrutiny than most aspects of the facility • Food service staff have to ensure that meals taste good, meet appropriate nutritional requirements, portions are appropriate, and sanitary conditions are maintained

4. Extensive Training Requirements • Both internal and external demands place heavy pressure on corrections food departments • Effective management of this department positively influences the overall function of the institution • Potential exists for disruptive action from dissatisfied inmates or a calming effect from a good food program

5. American Correctional Food Service Association • Works to enhance, represent, and promote the correctional segment of food service industry • Provides education seminars, tours of food service operations, written educational materials, and opportunities to discuss issues of common interest and establish a network among correctional food service professionals • Certification program to raise professional standards among food service personnel

6. Historical Background • Early prisons in US were private, and inmates had to pay for food, bedding, water • Not until 1970s that the public became concerned with the state of correctional facilities • Courts attempted to define some rights and impose standards on a case-by-case basis • ACA developed standards including food service in 1977 • Most institutions have a full-time food service manager

7. Food Service Facilities and Equipment • Some institutions have state-of-the-art facilities, where others are outdated • Most common serving method is cafeteria system • In jails and facilities without a cafeteria, meals are preplated in the kitchen and sent to the housing unit on trays or carts

8. Menu Preparation • ACA standard requires advanced menu planning • Jails have 1 week advanced preparation of meals due to limited storage • Prisons have a 28 day menu rotation • Menus are planned by food service manager and/or dietitian • Should reflect inmates’ cultural and ethic preferences, as well as medical and religious needs

9. Food Supplies and Storage • Common sources are state purchasing warehouses, state contracts, local wholesale food distributors, local vendors • Some systems have farms • All food should meet or exceed government standards • Temperatures should be checked and recorded as required

10. Food Preparation • Many institutions use Armed Forces Recipe Cards as guides for food preparation • Institution should have daily cleaning and inspection system to ensure sanitation • Also need a hazard analysis critical control point system to ensure all procedures are followed • Clean uniforms and aprons should be worn, as well as head coverings and beard guards

11. Special Diets • Medical diets should require medical authorization • Religious diets should be approved by the chaplain • Special diets should be specific and furnished in writing to food service manager • Need system to ensure that only authorized inmates receive special meals

12. Meal Service • Dining room creates a potential site for serious disturbances • Should be designed to enhance attractiveness of meal time atmosphere • Food should be served promptly after preparation and at appropriate temperature • Control of eating utensils should be maintained

13. Dining Room Routine • Inmates should be given time to wash before eating and should be fully clothed • Dining room should provide normal group eating areas and permit conversation • Line cutting should be monitored closely by staff

14. Unit Dining • Primarily used in jails and regional adult detention centers • Meals are preplated and sent to housing area • Food carts should be searched for contraband • Inmates should not serve food to other inmates in segregation • Inmates must be required to give back all utensils and other items on the tray

15. Commissary Options • Inmate store is usually available for inmates to purchase a wide variety of discretionary food items

16. Supervision Issues • Kitchen area should be out of bounds for non kitchen workers • Institution should have specific system for searching vehicles, loads, and drivers • Trash control is another security issue related to escape attempts

17. Controlling Kitchen Tools • Tool control is primarily related to knives • Should be stored in a locked cabinet in a secured area • Written inventory of all items should be kept and checked at each shift change • Equipment should be constantly checked to make sure no parts are missing

18. Yeast, Sugar, and Extract Control • Can be used to make homemade alcohol • Extract contains alcohol and may simply be drunk by inmates • Inmates with unusual amounts of sugar, fruits, or unbaked bread should be viewed with suspicion as potential brew makers

19. Food as an Incentive • Staff should never be allowed to use food as payment for work or as a special privilege

20. Conclusion • Food service operations are very important to an institutional routine • Food service staff must observe proper nutrition, cost controls, security, and supervision practices in the food preparation area • A well-run food operation will greatly enhance the morale, safety, and security of the prison setting

21. Chapter 14 Financial Operations

22. Objectives • Describe key concepts applying to the fiscal management of penal institutions • Name at least three approaches to prudence in the utilization of public funds • Explore the issues that can cause balanced budget failure

23. Understanding Financial Operations • Budget development – formulation of funding request • Budget execution – expenditures and distribution of funds • Budget oversight – systems and internal controls that ensure that funds are used in a manner consistent with budgetary goals

24. Understanding Financial Operations (cont.) • Public administrators need to be cautious about the perception of expenditures (ex. excessive landscaping) • Budget-tracking staff ensure that money is spent as planned and appropriately conserved • Common sense and good public stewardship should be exercised by all with authority to spend funds

25. Political Influence • Correctional staff should never forget that typically public funds are utilized to create, operate, and otherwise manage all correctional facilities • Elected representatives provide broad policy guidelines within the criminal justice system and make sure that an institution’s financial decisions reflect those policies • Every aspect of correctional management is subject to law, policy, guidelines, rules, and other controls

26. Budget Development • Anticipating and planning future requirements is critical • Per capita costs of inmate management must be factored into the daily cost of projections along with adjustments for anticipated inflation • Capital outlay must be included • Poor planning can lead to crisis management

27. Budget Development (cont.) • Budgeting for Human Resources • Most important and expensive part of institution budget • Senior administrators attempt to do more with less, but managers have to use overtime for reasonable supervision • Caution should be exercised when attempting to reduce correctional security personnel to save money

28. Budget Development (cont.) • Budget and Planning Committees • Subject matter experts should provide the rationale behind the funding requirements needed to operate their developmental programs • Committee should serve in an advisory capacity to chief executive officer • History of past obligations, anticipated new costs, and projections of a funding source for unanticipated expenses should be well-substantiated

29. Managing the Institutional Budget • Ebb and flow of prison and jail management requires some flexibility in financial management • Financial staff should be on the lookout for invalid obligations • Early detection of disparities in the budget is critical to an administrator’s ability to take corrective action • Financial auditing is critical to the integrity of the budgeting process

30. Managing the Institutional Budget (cont.) • Internal requirements might include: • System for accountability for purchasing and maintaining property and equipment • Policies limiting or eliminating personal use of equipment • Second level of procurement authority to ensure that contracts and small purchases are competitively priced • Documentation to support destruction of property

31. Managing the Institutional Budget (cont.) • Jail and prison staff must be aware of special funds for which staff have stewardship responsibility • Inmate canteen committee could allow inmates to have a voice in the use of canteen profits • Public scrutiny must be an important consideration in all aspects of institutional spending

32. Conclusion • Many benefits to providing basic financial knowledge to correctional leadership • Stewardship of the public’s resources requires conservative decision making, a well-developed sense of integrity, and the ability to apply administrative accountability in the overall process

33. Chapter 15 Working with the Media

34. Objectives • Explain the positive and negative aspects of media access to prisons from the perspective of the public and of prison administrators • Identify the key elements of an effective media strategy • Outline aspects of good media training

35. Introduction • Reporters frequently produce stories about the plight of inmates • Most stories portray prisons negatively and rarely provide an accurate description of what goes on behind institutional walls and fences • Written policy on handling media requests is very helpful

36. Media Access: Legal Considerations • Pell v. Procunier – Supreme Court concluded that prisoners had adequate means of communicating via mail and with family and friends and did not have a right to face-to-face interviews with the media • Saxbe v. Washington Post – First Amendment does not guarantee the press a right to access information that is not available to the public

37. Interview Considerations • Many correctional jurisdictions believe it is important to permit representatives of the media into institutions to interview specific prisoners • Questions to consider: • Who is making the request? • What is the purpose of the intended story? • What will be the demands on staff? • What will the effect be on prison operations?

38. Administrative Concerns • Foremost responsibility is to maintain safe and orderly operation of the prison facility • Substantial or sustained media coverage of a particular inmate has the potential to create difficulties for the inmate and administrators • It makes sense to grant media requests if they can be accommodated with minimal disruption and little threat to safety

39. Media Access Policies • More restrictive policies run the risk of angering the public and media • Must be accountable for expenditure of public funds • Should be cautious to not routinely grant requests to just one source and deny requests from another

40. Media Access Policies (cont.) • Written policy should include: • All media requests should be in written form • Representative should make reasonable attempts to verify allegations • Must make an appointment to visit • Inmates may not receive compensation • Request for interview can originate from inmate or media • Administrator should approve or disapprove requests in a timely manner

41. Media Representatives • Responsibility of the institution’s liaison to work with the author to learn about the story and minimize distortions of prison • Effective PIO will provide effective sound bites to ensure the most positive portrayal of the institution and staff • Correctional institution will also sometimes contact the media for newsworthy events

42. Community Coverage • Prison or jail administrators will most likely have to actively solicit media support for worthy programs • Members of the community can also provide positive media coverage

43. Conclusion • Focus of media coverage will vary • There will be opportunities for positive exposure, and therefore, the institution should maintain positive relationships with members of the media

44. Chapter 16 Community Relations Boards

45. Objectives • Describe the primary purpose of a community relations board • Outline the goals of successful CRBs • Explain the logistics involved with setting up and running CRBs

46. Introduction • Community relations boards can help a community and a correctional institution live together as neighbors and partners

47. Composition of CRBs • Nominations can be sought from agencies or individuals • Local facilities need to tailor to their needs • Several groups should be represented: • People affected by physical presence • Local officials • Outreach members who provide a link to the community

48. Objectives of CRBs • Improved Communication • CRB members can provide honest and worthwhile feedback from the community perspective • Enable the exchange of accurate information between the community and facility • Facility can remind community representatives that staff live in the same neighborhoods they do and want the neighborhoods to be safe

49. Objectives of CRBs (cont.) • Ease of Reentry • Citizens demand good information and reassurance with respect to reentry • Issue of reentry is to end the cycle of recidivism • Accountability and support for inmates returning to public life is a vital task • CRBs can serve as important bridges to the community to provide for effective reentry

50. Objectives of CRBs (cont.) • Community Involvement in Institutional Programming • Board meetings can highlight different prison programs and introduce staff to the members • Can help members understand the needs and mandates of the facility • CRB can look for volunteer opportunities within the facility • May help develop programs where the inmates can contribute to the community