Alabama prisons debut new ‘fresh’ food program

This story was published in partnership with Prison Journalism Project, a national nonprofit organization which trains incarcerated writers in journalism and publishes their work. Sign up for PJP’s newsletter, follow them on Instagram and Bluesky, or connect with them on LinkedIn.

When the Alabama Department of Corrections this summer promoted a new incentive-based program allowing “approved family and friends to purchase freshly prepared restaurant meals to be delivered to inmates,” The Food Section got in touch with the PJP to see if any of its contributors were available to look into it. Two PJP journalists incarcerated outside of Birmingham took on the assignment.

Richard “Corey” Fox’s report follows. Click here to read the report authored by PJP journalist Destry McKinney.

For most incarcerated people, food isn’t associated with pleasure or special occasions.  It’s just a means of survival. Prison food is often unrecognizable, bland, and sometimes spoiled. But in recent months the Alabama Department of Corrections has contracted with Aramark and in my view, this has greatly improved the quality of food in the state prison system.

The quantity may be less than what it used to be, but with the new food selection you’re more likely to eat all of the food on the tray as opposed to just one or two items.

Now, breakfast consists of a couple of blueberry muffins, oatmeal, sausage, syrup, and juice or milk. Sometimes we have breakfast burritos with eggs, peppers and onions. Lunch and supper have featured broccoli, cauliflower, charbroiled meat patties, fresh carrots, Polish sausage, sloppy Joes, and baked potatoes.

Before, we had corn dogs that were green, dirty rice or dirty noodles, and bologna that if you put it in the microwave smelled like a rancid pair of socks.

More recently, Aramark started the iCare Fresh program, where families and friends can order a meal delivered to you on a designated date. The program is only open to people who have not had any disciplinary infractions for the last six months and are not in restricted housing.

This incentive-based food system is a new wrinkle for us. It may make people be on their best behavior. But the downside of the program is that the cost may be too high for poorer people to participate and detractors could view it as a commercialization of mass incarceration.

At William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility, where I am currently detained, the program started letting family and friends order on Aug. 11 and the meals were served up on Aug. 22.

We could choose from a double Angus burger meal that’s 5.3 ounces of meat with romaine lettuce, purple onion, a slice of tomato, and American cheese, served on a potato roll. With sides, the meal costs a little more than $21. Then you have the chicken tender meal, which features three 2-ounce breaded chicken tenders with sides for about $15. The Buffalo chicken salad meal is 3.5 ounces of romaine lettuce, two 3-ounce grilled chicken breasts, chopped and placed over croutons, shredded mozzarella cheese, grape tomatoes, and peeled cucumbers; blue cheese crumbles and black pepper top it off. Add in sides and it’s just over $22.

Sides include a 20-ounce Coke, 10 tater tots, and four Spunkmeyer chocolate chip cookies. 

The meals are prepared at the prison by Aramark-certified incarcerated cooks, supervised by Aramark staff, then served through the chow hall, where incarcerated residents pick up their meals before returning to their living areas to eat. 

Meals are served on Saturdays after visitation because weekends and holidays are two-meal days while the rest of the week consists of three-meal days. 

James Edmond McWilliams, one of the certified incarcerated cooks, informed me that future menu items will likely include personal pizzas and chicken wings. 

“But I believe the burger will be most popular,” McWilliams said. “The amount of meat is bigger than the Big Mac and the Wendy’s burgers.”

McWilliams told me 70 meals were ordered the first week: 36 burger combos; 23 chicken tender combos, and 11 salads. 

One salad customer, Mario Davis, said he was very satisfied.

“It was easy for my people to set up an account and order the meal,” he said. “It was kinda better than I expected.”

He did admit the tater tots were kind of soft.

(A press representative for Aramark’s Correctional Services division did not respond to a Sept. 3 email from The Food Section seeking comment on residents’ impressions of the program.)

“But they’ll figure it out,” he added. “Plus, I can only order one meal per seven days. That’s my only complaint.”

Rondonaldrick Farrior said that he ordered the burger plate. 

“It was easy for my family to do, and they’ve already ordered me another one with extra sides for next week,” Farrior said with a laugh. 

When asked what all he plans to try, he told me: “Nothing, just burgers all the time.”

“They do need to work on their tots though,” he confirmed.

Richard ‘Corey’ Fox is a senior reporter for Prison Journalism Project. His favorite writers are Beth Shelburne and Wilbert Rideau. He loves rooting on The University of Alabama football team.