HOT SPRINGS, AR – Exactly a month ago the Garland County Sheriff’s Office transferred 200 inmates into their new Detention Center. They currently have about 270 inmates.
According to the Chief Deputy of Correction, the philosophy behind the whole place focuses on constantly modifying inmate behavior and the center plans to add one more tool.
It will put a spin on what the inmates are used to having to eat.
Chief Deputy Mark Chamberlain said, “Usually jail food, if it comes in some type of patty form, that’s usually what you’ll see.”
Garland County follows Arkansas jail standards which provides for 2400 calories per day for regular inmates and 2700 for those that do trustee work.
The new food incentive program would offer inmates with good behavior the chance to purchase take-out items like cheeseburgers, pizza, chicken wings and chef salads. This would replace the typical tray of jail food but still be produced in the detention center kitchen.
It will be paid for by the inmate through their jail account which family can add money to.
According to Chief Chamberlain the set-up of the new detention center has helped reduce violence inside the jail.
With constant Deputy presence in every housing unit he says they’ve probably had less than five fights in the month of operation. Whereas, in the older jail they averaged one per day.