This week, KJZZ Phoenix’s Jimmy Jenkins released the results of health inspections performed in the kitchens of Arizona State Prisons. These results, detailing pest infestations, use of expired food items, and unsanitary conditions in food preparation areas, highlighted what those with lived experiences within these facilities already know; the ADCRR is failing to meet yet another basic operational function on the taxpayer dime.
The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry contracts with Trinity Services Group for approximately $40 million annually to provide food services to those incarcerated in the Arizona Prison System, or roughly $2.62 per day per person. The result is food that is high in carbohydrates, extremely low in quality, and as detailed in Jimmy’s report, often not fit for human consumption. Read the full report here.
The evidence presented this week further illustrates the desperate need for oversight of the Arizona prison system. We cannot stand by and allow those in charge to continue rubber-stamping these dangerous conditions. Food, free of rat feces, is a basic human need that is not being met by ADCRR. Arizona’s incarcerated citizens deserve better.
