USA: State of Michigan ends prison catering contract with Aramark early following allegations of mismanagement, security concerns and unhygienic conditions
“Michigan to end prison food deal with Aramark”, 13 July 2015
The state of Michigan … will end the three-year deal 18 months early and switch to a new vendor.
… Issues have ranged from meal shortages, to maggots in the kitchen, to smuggling of drugs and other contraband by Aramark employees, to Aramark workers engaging in sex acts with prisoners.
Prison officials say 176 Aramark workers have been terminated and banned from prison property for a range of transgressions, including allegedly attempting to hire an inmate to have another inmate assaulted.
Most recent was a July 7 incident, confirmed to the Free Press Monday by Corrections Department spokesman Chris Gautz, in which an Aramark worker at Alger Correctional Facility in Munising admitted improperly communicating with four inmates, being paid to smuggle in tobacco, and engaging in sex acts in a prison cooler. The Aramark worker said she also was urged to smuggle in illegal drugs, but refused.
Aramark spokeswoman Karen Cutler said: "Regrettably, the partnership with the Michigan Department of Corrections has not worked out as both sides hoped."
"We take full responsibility for all aspects of our performance while operating in a highly charged political environment that included repeated false claims," Cutler said. "Ultimately, we were unable to resolve a number of shared issues and as a result we mutually agreed with MDOC to end the contract."