Rikers Island Jailer Wanted to Feed Prisoners Spoiled Meat

One jailer at Rikers Island gave new meaning to the term jail bait when he suggested that the jail could have served spoiled meat to the prisoners. On July 11, 65,000 pounds of rotten meats were discovered in two malfunctioning freezer trailers on Rikers Island after one supervisor complained about the nauseating odor. The meat, which was valued at $130,816, was disposed of, but one official allegedly complained that instead of stretching the prison's budget even further, the meat could have been washed with cider vinegar and sodium bicarbonate and served to the prisoners. Official spokeswoman Sharman Stein, however, insisted that it was "absolutely incorrect that [the Correction Department] considered serving the spoiled food."

The jail was already facing serious budgetary problems before this incident: The food budget needed to be trimmed by $350,000, and to reach that goal, pepper packets, pudding, and ice cream were cut from the menu, and bread was rationed to two slices per prisoner. The meats that spoiled included, "cubed turkey thighs, Cajun turkey patties, veal patties, Jamaican beef patties, ground turkey, pizza pockets and cubed beef."

No word on what this means for the famous (infamous?) Rikers Island carrot cake.