By Kaitlin Durbin
cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — More bad food at the Cuyahoga County jail recently prompted several Corrections Corporals to demand management action, fearing that if meal service doesn’t improve it could lead inmates to riot, putting the staff’s safety at risk.
Corporal William Jordan set off the chain of concerns after a particularly bad meal on May 30, where the county’s food service provider, Trinity Services Group, served what appeared to be beef and potatoes in a gravy mixture, with a side of corn.
“I am scared for my life, and the life of our officers who are asked to hand out these horrible meals,” Jordan wrote in an email shared with Jail Administrator Ronda Gibson, supervisors, corporals and other managers. “My prayer is that myself or any of our officers are not assaulted because of these meals.”
Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer received copies of the emails and photos from the county through a records request.
Other officers chimed in.
Corporal David Huerster responded with his own story from breakfast the same morning, where he said inmates received cereal, milk, jelly and a dinner roll. In his 19 years working in the county jail, “food has never been this bad,” he told his bosses.
“Trinity has failed us, our officers and the inmates,” Huerster wrote. “There is no way we can look at the service and the product they provide and think the county is getting their money worth.”
“This needs to be addressed and rectified, as it brings undue stress and tension for all correction employees and inmates,” Corporal Brian Klak replied to management.
In a separate typed letter, obtained by cleveland.com, that was distributed to jail staff, Corporal Frank Hocker reiterated the same concerns, noting that it’s often his staff left to prepare and serve food with no training. Conditions are worse than he’s seen in 22 years working at the jail, he said.
“If the Trinity foods staffing continues to neglect the needs of the inmates, concerning their diets, and their poor food service, they are going to end up causing a riot in our jail...,” he warned. “Today was just another crazy day in which we had to deal with the inmates refusing to eat cold food and food that looked like vomit.”
‘WE NEED SOME HELP’
Jordan later shared another picture of a concerning breakfast that consisted of two pieces of bread, a glob of what appeared to be grape jelly, and what the corrections union Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association previously described as an undercooked breakfast bar made with pancake and cake batters.
Officers have sent repeated emails complaining about the food, Jordan wrote, noting that, at other jails around the world, there have been riots, assaults on officers and even officers held hostage “because the inmates are angry because of the food that they are being served.” They want to prevent that from happening in Cuyahoga, he said, but every other day they’re having to “calm” inmates because of the poor food.
If management wants to prove that they support their employees, he challenged, then it needs to rectify the food service.
“We have gotten away with this horrible practice for long enough, thankfully without a riot happening,” Jordan wrote. “WE NEED SOME HELP!”
Interim Sheriff Joseph Greiner said the poor dinner service in question only impacted inmates on the 10th floor that day. They were given a product substitution “that resulted in an inadequate main entrée,” he told cleveland.com in an emailed statement, but he said Trinty and jail staff provided an “alternative meal” to inmates who had not yet received a tray.
There were no riots, he said.
“The situation was rectified that evening and all inmates were fed,” Greiner said. “The matter is still under review and corrective measures, if necessary, will be taken.”
Expired contract
The jail’s food service really came under fire last September, when cleveland.com reported complaints from current and former inmates, which was quickly followed by a critical review of the food from Cuyahoga Councilwoman Meredith Turner. She sampled the food during a tour of the jail and said it was so bad she questioned whether Trinity should be fired.
Trinity’s food service was questioned again earlier this month, when cleveland.com revealed its sister company, Keefe Commissary Network, had won a separate contract to provide all commissary food items that inmates use to supplement their diets. Cleveland.com learned that as Trinity’s service declined, Keefe’s commissary prices skyrocketed, leading to questions about a profit scheme dependent on serving low-quality meals.
“It is troubling that inmates may be forced to purchase overpriced commissary items to supplement their diet, due to the poor and inadequate quality of food that Trinity is serving,” OPBA attorney Adam Chaloupka told cleveland.com at the time.
Trinity’s contract expired on Wednesday, but the county has indicated that it expects them to continue to provide meals until a new contract is signed or a new provider is selected. Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne’s spokeswoman previously said the county aims to extend Trinity’s contract until it can be “scrutinized” by incoming Sheriff Harold Pretel, but the county has not taken action to do that.
That transition is also at least another month away. Pretel’s appointment was introduced to council on Tuesday and will go before the Human Resources, Appointments and Equity Committee for review before moving to the full council for approval.
When questioned about the food service by council’s Public Safety and Justice Affairs Committee last week, Sheriff Greiner said jail staff are working with Trinity on calorie counts, service and quality control issues. But they’re largely at a standstill until the new sheriff takes over.
“We’re in communication, and we’re working on the issue to basically make sure it’s all clear and everybody understands how the process works,” Greiner said.
It was a short discussion, with council members asking few questions.
Asked afterward what he gleaned from the 8-minute presentation, Chair Michael Gallagher said he wanted it on the record that the county is reviewing Trinity’s contract, and to give the public some sort of timeline for when any potential changes or improvements might come. He expects future discussions will focus on the nutritional value of the jail food.
“The first step in a further discussion is not just on who is doing the food, but the quality of the food,” Gallagher told cleveland.com. “I want to do that with the sheriff and Trinity.”
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