Vermont court to decide if disliked prison food is punishment

MONTPELIER, Vt. (Map, News) - When shooting suspect Christopher Williams acted up in prison, he was given nutraloaf - a mixture of cubed whole wheat bread, nondairy cheese, raw carrots, spinach, seedless raisins, beans, vegetable oil, tomato paste, powdered milk and dehydrated potato flakes.

Prison officials call it a complete meal. Inmates say it’s so awful they’d rather go hungry.

On Monday, the Vermont Supreme Court will hear arguments in a class action suit brought by inmates who say it’s not food but punishment and that anyone subjected to it should get a formal disciplinary process first.

Prison officials see nutraloaf as a tool for behavior modification. http://federalism.typepad.com/crime_federalism/

“It’s commonplace in other states as a way of providing nutrition in a mechanism that dissuades inmates from throwing feces, urine, trays and silverware,” said Vermont Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann.

“It tends to have the desired outcome,” Hofmann said. [snip]

Most Vermont inmates given nutraloaf have used their eating utensils to throw body waste. Nutraloaf, however, is served on a simple piece of paper, removing from the inmate’s reach the utensils that can be used to store the waste before it is thrown.[snip]

Christopher Williams, 29, who is charged in a 2006 school shooting that killed two people in Essex, was given nutraloaf after he’d assaulted guards and smeared excrement in his cell.
Since then, his name hasn’t appeared on the list of inmates given nutraloaf.
“His name was nowhere to be found,” Hofmann said. “I presume it was effective.”

What has Vermont come to, serving prisoners wholesome food after they misbehave? Put them on a broccoli rabe diet for a month (that will stop the feces throwing) or beat them to within an inch of stupidity with a waterboard, since it’s impolite to use it as intended. Actually, given the level of intelligence extant, holding up the board should be sufficient.

If the inmates worked on road gangs 10 hours a day, they be too tired to cause troubles. Who knows, they might even recognize the work ethic when they step up to it. The state also saves a large portion of tax dollars used to pay state employees to do the lump work. Realizing additional savings by canceling the cable TV and converting the workout room to additional cell space helps the taxpayers.

Furthermore, having the correctional facilities a bit inconvenient may produce a sharp drop in recidivism, either by modifying their behavior or by leaving the state. I care not which they choose.