Ala. sheriff agrees to feed inmates
Published: January 9, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama sheriff who was imprisoned after admitting he legally pocketed more than $200,000 from his jail kitchen while feeding meals that prisoners described as skimpy and unappetizing has agreed to give up future profits from the operation.
A court document filed Friday showed that Morgan County Sheriff Greg Bartlett has promised to use all government funding he receives for jail food to actually feed prisoners.
That’s a change from the past, when Bartlett pocketed any profits generated by the kitchen under an Alabama law dating to the 1920s.
A federal judge jailed Bartlett overnight this week after ruling that he purposely fed prisoners inadequately to maximize his personal profits under the system.
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Reader Reactions
While I don’t have a lot of pity for the prisoners, the law should clearly be changed. The article says he “legally” kept money the government had allocated for prison food. Where is the uproar to change the law?
Was it legal? Maybe so. Was it ethical in this day and time? Clearly not! I would hope the citizens of that county remember that at re-election time!
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