Inmates protest decision by sheriff to cut meal sizes

Randy Orton

WC's Resident Alchoholic

Inmates protest decision by sheriff to cut meal sizes
WHDH-TV
DARTMOUTH (AP) -- About 300 of the 1,000 inmates at the Bristol County House of Correction are skipping meals to protest a decision by Sheriff Thomas Hodgson to reduce meal portions.

The smaller portions, which went into effect about a week ago, are better for the prisoners' health and the county's finances, Hodgson said.

Some inmates have thrown trays at meal times and roughed up one prisoner for eating, he said. About six inmates have been put on disciplinary status and two who broke a sprinkler will face criminal charges and have to pay for its repair, Hodgson said.

"This is a small segment of the population," Hodgson told The Standard-Times of New Bedford. "Some inmates will look for any excuse to stir up trouble. ... This is not a hunger strike. The majority of inmates are eating their meals."

The new meal policy was instituted with input from a staff nutritionist and cuts anything above the basic nutrition inmates need to stay healthy.

Some of the changes include a maximum of two hot dogs instead of three at a meal and one piece of bread instead of three, the sheriff said.

Shortly after Hodgson took over as sheriff, he cut fried foods and potato chips from the jail's menu. Additionally, coffee isn't available to inmates with meals.

Prisoners can buy snack foods at the facility's commissary with their "canteen accounts," money they brought in or given by family and friends.

State prisons provide meals with portion controls similar to those at the Bristol County prison. "The Department of Correction dietitian sets a balanced diet," spokeswoman Diane Wiffin said.

Sheriff Hodgson has earned a reputation as a tough taskmaster since he took the sheriff's job in 1997. He has eliminated televisions, card games, smoking and weightlifting equipment at county jails.

In addition, he established a controversial initiative that charges inmates $5 a day in administrative fees and began charging for haircuts, some medical appointments and other services. He also began sending "tandem work crews" of inmates to perform tasks such as painting and cleaning up garbage in nearby communities. The mayors of Fall River and New Bedford were highly critical of the crews, but inmates have said they enjoy the chance to get out of their cells.