State Ends Contract with Troubled Prison Meals Supplier

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After a series of incidents ranging from the discovery of maggots in a prison kitchen and sexual encounters between prison workers and inmates, Gov. Rick Snyder on Monday severed the state’s relationship with the troubled Aramark Correctional Services.

Snyder canceled the state’s $145 million contract with Aramark and announced a new agreement to provide meal service to Michigan’s 45,000 inmates had been signed with Trintiy Services Group, The Detroit News reports.

The state and Philadelphia-based Aramark mutually agreed to end the contract a year ahead of schedule.

“Both the state and Aramark felt we couldn’t bridge the gap and determined it was best we both go our separate ways,” said Caleb Buhs, spokesman for the state Department of Technology, Management and Budget.

The problems at the prison also included the serving of a rodent-nibbled cake to inmates, allegations of prison workers smuggling drugs to inmates, and even a murder-to-hire plot.

Related Stories:

• Prisoners Report Food Poisoning After Maggots Found Near Serving Line
• What’s the Secret in Michigan Prison Food? It Might Be Maggots
• Four Prison Workers Caught on Video In Sexual Dalliances with Inmates
• Emails: Rodents Nibbled on Cake Served to Prison Inmates
• Investigators Scratching Head Over Discovery of Bullets on Inmate’s Breakfast Tray

Trinity’s takeover of meal services at the state’s 33 correctional facilities begins with a 60-day transition period to ensure meal services aren’t interrupted. Trinity will be fully in control by Sept. 9.

“Michigan will continue to realize significant cost savings” from the new three-year deal with Trinity – at $158 million, more expensive than the previous $145 million contract with Aramark,” Snyder said in a statement.

The state had been spending $65 million to provide prison meals until the Legislature forced the governor to privatize food service in a cost-cutting measure that saved $14 million annually, but cost 370 workers their jobs.

In a statement Aramark took full responsibility for the problems.

“Regrettably, the partnership with the Michigan Department of Corrections has not worked out as both sides hoped, and that is disappointing,” Aramark spokeswoman Karen Cutler said in a statement. “We are proud to have served the state during a major groundbreaking shift to privatization and delivering on our commitments to serve 65 million meals in MDOC facilities and save Michigan taxpayers more than $25 million.

“We take full responsibility for all aspects of our performance while operating in a highly charged political environment that included repeated false claims. Ultimately, we were unable to resolve a number of shared issues and as a result we mutually agreed with MDOC to end the contract.”

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