Indiana is cited in today's edition of The Wall Street Journal in an article by Stephanie Simon titled "Jailbirds Order Up Hot Wings." The subhead is "Junk Food Lifts Inmates' Spirits, Prison Revenue but envy and Diet Are Concerns."
Ms. Simon writes:
In a bid to raise cash and keep the peace in crowded jails, wardens nationwide are offering inmates the chance to order meatball subs, cheeseburgers, chicken parmesan - evan a "Pizza and Wings Party Pack," complete with celery, blue cheese and a Pepsi.
The program goes beyond the old-fashioned prison commissary, with its cup-a-soups and bags of chips, and it can be quite lucrative for corrections departments.
"We have to be creative in tough fiscal times," Edwin G. Buss, commissioner of Indiana's Department of Correction.
[ ... ]
The Indiana prison is on track to make more than $2 million this on sales from the service.
[ ... ]
[T]he special-order corn dogs are "100 times better" than Aramark's "chow-hall food," said John Ash, an inmate at the Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, Ind., who buys extra meals with his $130-a-month pay from his clerical prison job. Mr. Ash says the program also helps him feel connected to his nine-year-old daughter, who like to send him the "chocolate lovers" snack pack.
Mr. Ash then reported he has gained 10 pounds in recents months.
The article notes that some jailkeepers are not keen on the program. Arizona's outspoken Sheriff of Maricopa County, Joe Arpaio, for example, is not a fan.
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