Corrections department rebuts protest leaders' claims of substandard food in prisons

[webfact]

Corrections department rebuts protest leaders' claims of substandard food in prisons

By THE NATION

 

 

The Department of Corrections has sprung to its defence, saying it maintains strict control over food served in prisons, after protest leaders of the Free Youth group recently said prisoners were being served substandard food.

 

“The department has been strictly following the protocols in food procurement, inspection of ingredients and meal planning, which are based on food sanitation principles,” the department’s director-general, Ayut Sinthopphan, said. “We also have been working with external parties to inspect and control food quality to ensure safety and good nutrition for inmates.

 

 

“All meal plans are notified to inmates in advance, with variety based on the geographic areas, while still maintaining nutritional values. Sick inmates are given a different meal plan based on their dietary needs,” he added.

 

“Those who require special diets due to religious beliefs will also have different menus, which are prepared in separated containers.

 

“Although the department has been allocated a budget of only Bt54 per inmate per meal for three meals day, which includes both ingredients and fuel costs, we have strictly adhered to the aforementioned measures to make sure that all inmates receive good quality food according to the principles of nutrition,” Ayut said.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30397999

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-11-16

 

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[Somtamnication]

No one is promised 5 star gourmet meals at the BKK Hiltons.

[uncleP]

It is well documented  that food in Thai prisons is terrible. 54 baht per meal is a substantial amount considering what you pay on the street . Food could  be ordered in with the other 40% diverted into various  retirement funds ????????????

[Misterwhisper]

“All meal plans are notified to inmates in advance,..."

"...the department has been allocated a budget of only Bt54 per inmate per meal for three meals [a] day, which includes both ingredients and fuel costs,..."

 

54 baht a day, that's 18 baht per meal.

You can't even get a bowl of noodles for that at a street stall.

Yet, the department assures that everything is above board and that prison food is *not* substandard and that is all oh so nutritious.

Heck, they even issue "meal plans".

One can only surmise what these "meal plans" might look like:

 

MONDAY

Breakfast - fish head soup

Lunch - fish head soup

inner - fish head soup

 

TUESDAY

Breakfast - pork cartilage in watery rice soup

Lunch - pork cartilage in watery rice soup

Dinner - pork cartilage in watery rice soup

(to our Muslim inmates we serve sheep cartilage instead)

 

etc.

[Salerno]

5 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

54 baht a day, that's 18 baht per meal.

 

Or is it, 54 Bht per meal, 3 meals per day = 162 Bht per day per prisoner?

[worgeordie]

Do prison Governors eat the same food?.......no I don't think so.

I doubt the 54 Thb per meal is actually spent.....fish heads are

cheap. ????

regards Worgeordie

[Misterwhisper]

1 hour ago, Salerno said:

 

Or is it, 54 Bht per meal, 3 meals per day = 162 Bht per day per prisoner?

 

You are right.

It looks like it's 54 baht per meal. And there are 3 meals a day. So it would be 162 baht per day and prisoner. My mistake.

 

But still... a 54 baht budget per meal is probably not yielding much more than a single plate of rice with some meager toppings. 

[Pungdo]

2 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

54 baht a day, that's 18 baht per meal.

Can you not read what you posted yourself  "Bt54 per inmate per meal for three meals day" so it quite clearly says 3x54=164 baht total

[SuwadeeS]

I do not believe 54 Baht per meal, rather than 54 Baht per day.

Hopefully, sometimes, the Human rights organizations and the international community get the attention to this topic through social media.

Further, I do believe, that the prisoners are öfters tortured.

 

[captainhornblower]

Maths not your strong suit?

[wombat]

4 hours ago, uncleP said:

54 baht per meal is a substantial amount considering what you pay on the street .

slab of fish and a pkt of sticky rice 50baht....Wat Chai markets

[loong]

1 hour ago, Misterwhisper said:

But still... a 54 baht budget per meal is probably not yielding much more than a single plate of rice with some meager toppings. 

How do you think that places that charge 40 baht or less for a meal make a profit?

I cook nearly all my own food and it rarely costs more than about 30 Baht per meal.

I eat a lot of chicken and a lot of vegetables.

54 Baht can buy 2 chicken breasts (30 Baht) a good selection of vegetables (20 Baht, more than anyone is likely to eat in one meal) and a plate of rice.

The prisons will be buying it wholesale so even cheaper for them.

[Andrew65]

2 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

“All meal plans are notified to inmates in advance,..."

"...the department has been allocated a budget of only Bt54 per inmate per meal for three meals [a] day, which includes both ingredients and fuel costs,..."

 

54 baht a day, that's 18 baht per meal.

You can't even get a bowl of noodles for that at a street stall.

Yet, the department assures that everything is above board and that prison food is *not* substandard and that is all oh so nutritious.

Heck, they even issue "meal plans".

One can only surmise what these "meal plans" might look like:

 

MONDAY

Breakfast - fish head soup

Lunch - fish head soup

inner - fish head soup

 

TUESDAY

Breakfast - pork cartilage in watery rice soup

Lunch - pork cartilage in watery rice soup

Dinner - pork cartilage in watery rice soup

(to our Muslim inmates we serve sheep cartilage instead)

 

etc.

I think I saw something a while back saying inmates in the US prison system were fed for around $2-3 a day?!

[ChrisY1]

I'm sure it would be at Michelin standard at least.....probably better !!

[The Deerhunter]

5 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

No one is promised 5 star gourmet meals at the BKK Hiltons.

Perhaps the fish heads are nearly fresh.

[Thed]

The kids / protesters should not even BE in gail...

[Benmart]

1 hour ago, Pungdo said:

Can you not read what you posted yourself  "Bt54 per inmate per meal for three meals day" so it quite clearly says 3x54=164 baht total

"Can you not" practice being civil with your replies? What goes around, comes around. Errors are understandble, rudeness is pitiful.

[uncleP]

I can get a meal with rice, meat and veg for 25b locally in Bangkok.

[ChipButty]

This is probably started by the kids that got locked up and the junk they had to eat, 

[Salerno]

4 minutes ago, Benmart said:

Errors are understandble, rudeness is pitiful.

 

As is his maths 

[overt2016]

Any response to this needs more input from the authorities.

IE: How many inmates in prisons?

    Budget for meals X inmates?

   Actual cost per day x number of inmates?

  Budget for nutrition per inmate.

[FangFerang]

The majority of the money is funneled into other programs for........... rest and recreation,........ rice without maggots is considered a treat--what people who had been imprisoned say and what the wardens say are VERY different things. Once released, prisoners need de-loused and have their heads and body shaved.

[sambum]

4 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

“All meal plans are notified to inmates in advance,..."

"...the department has been allocated a budget of only Bt54 per inmate per meal for three meals [a] day, which includes both ingredients and fuel costs,..."

 

54 baht a day, that's 18 baht per meal.

You can't even get a bowl of noodles for that at a street stall.

Yet, the department assures that everything is above board and that prison food is *not* substandard and that is all oh so nutritious.

Heck, they even issue "meal plans".

One can only surmise what these "meal plans" might look like:

 

MONDAY

Breakfast - fish head soup

Lunch - fish head soup

inner - fish head soup

 

TUESDAY

Breakfast - pork cartilage in watery rice soup

Lunch - pork cartilage in watery rice soup

Dinner - pork cartilage in watery rice soup

(to our Muslim inmates we serve sheep cartilage instead)

 

etc.

I think 54 baht per meal means 54 baht per meal x 3 = 162 baht a day

[spidermike007]

Though good food cannot be expected in any prison, it is quite possible they went out of their way to serve really, really substandard food to these courageous youths.

 

And besides, who are you going to believe? In institutional dinosaur, who is totally beholden to the group the youth are demonstrating against, or the people who represent the future of this nation?

 

 

[Andrew65]

25 minutes ago, FangFerang said:

The majority of the money is funneled into other programs for........... rest and recreation,........ rice without maggots is considered a treat--what people who had been imprisoned say and what the wardens say are VERY different things. Once released, prisoners need de-loused and have their heads and body shaved.

I too am wondering how much of the 54 Baht actually gets spent on food

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, uncleP said:

It is well documented  that food in Thai prisons is terrible. 54 baht per meal is a substantial amount considering what you pay on the street . Food could  be ordered in with the other 40% diverted into various  retirement funds ????????????

BKK Hilton is voluntary if you want 5-star cuisine there are other options.

[digger70]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Corrections department rebuts protest leaders' claims of substandard food in prisons

People in the Correction centre aren't there for an Holiday and 5 star meals. 

They are there because they are  Convicted and sentenced and  because they did something Wrong.

[CanadaSam]

I too, have had many wonderful meals, even delivered by Grab, etc. for between 30-50 baht each.

 

I think the fact is, the budget is more than adequate, but perhaps as much as 60% or more of it is simply being "skimmed" off the top to provide better meals for more deserving families, such as jailors and the like.

[Stevemercer]

Ha Ha. Who actually believes what the governor is saying? I'm sure it is all nicely written down somewhere, but the implementation on the ground is surely lacking after everyone has had their turn at the trough (with the prisoners going last).

[Cranky]

Laugh, I nearly bought a round. How much does this compare with the genuinely poverty stricken and needy?