GOVERNMENT, ARAMARK INC. LIED ABOUT ROTTEN FOOD
Is Aramark in Violation Of Its Contract?

Evidence has come to light indicating that the Florida Department of Corrections appears to have hidden written documents about recent food services problems in Florida's death row prisons from Governor Jeb Bush's office and senior management/investigators of Aramark Correctional Services. Aramark provides food services in many of Florida's prisons, including the prisons housing Florida's male death row population. The Florida Death Row Advocacy Group (FDRAG) is in possession of actual grievance responses received by prisoners in which prison officials acknowledge the problem and make statements such as "This will not happen again. From now on if you are served a bad item by mistake it will be replaced." Other grievance responses simply dismiss the complaint with a denial of any problem.

Scanned images of some of the complaint forms in FDRAG's possession may be seen at http://www.FDRAG.org .

In responding to activists inquiring about reports indicating that rotten food has been served to prisoners as recently as November 1, 2003, Aramark's public relations department claims that there is no record of *any* complaint about the food by *any* prisoner in recent weeks. "We simply cannot find the source of the information," said Debbie Albert, Associate Vice President of ARAMARK Corporate Communications, in a response sent to FADP. Governor Bush's boiler-plate response simply outlines the grievance procedure. And yet, there is a paper trail. Who is lying? (See responses from Bush and Aramark - below.)

"The prisoners are sending these forms to us," said Hannah Floyd, of the Florida Death Row Advocacy Group. "Some of the complaints were responded to by prison workers who agree that there was a problem and seem genuinely concerned. And then the machine takes over, and that's when we see the standard denials. But now we have the paper trail that proves that the prison management is deliberately covering up this problem. They're lying."

"If Aramark and Governor Bush's office are to be believed, then they are also being lied to by the DOC," said Abe Bonowitz, director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. "Aramark claims there are no records of any prisoner complaints, but we have them in hand. It seems that DOC policy is to lie to everyone from the public to the vendors, and even to the office of the Governor. I can't believe that Jeb Bush condones this behavior."

Members of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and the Florida Death Row Advocacy Group have been calling on Governor Jeb Bush to investigate Aramark's poor record of providing substandard food services in Florida prisons, and to correct the situation immediately. They have also been calling on Aramark to correct the situation. Below are standard replies as received by activists:

FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JEB BUSH

>From: "Philmore, Ebony O." <philmore.ebony@mail.dc.state.fl.us>
>To: **************
>Subject: FW: Food service at Union Correctional Institution
>Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2003 15:20:26 -0500
>
>Governor Bush asked me to thank you for your message and let you know that
>he is always pleased to hear from a concerned citizen. You wrote regarding
>the food service operations within the Florida Department of Corrections.
>
>The Department has designed and implemented a comprehensive evaluation
>system that closely monitors the food service activities. This process
>involves daily documentation of all meals served throughout the department
>and periodic unannounced on-site inspections by professional field
>personnel.
>
>The incidents that you bring to light in your letter are all relative to
>time and location. Without more specific information of when, where and
>what incident is in question, further review is unrealistic.
>
>The Florida Department of Corrections Rule 33-103 Inmate Grievances provides
>a formal and effective method for inmates to air their grievances and/or
>request information. The purpose of the grievance procedure is to provide
>the inmate with a channel for the administrative settlement of a legitimate
>grievance and/or record official responses.
>
>In addition to providing the inmate with the opportunity of having a
>grievance heard and considered through official channels, this procedure
>assists the department by providing a means for the internal resolution of
>problems and improving lines of communication. The procedure also provides
>an official written record in the event of subsequent judicial or
>administrative review.
>
>Inmates should utilize this formal and established procedure of Rule 33-103
>Inmate Grievances for best results.
>
>Again, thank you for writing.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>
>Ebony Philmore
>Citizens' Services Administrator
>Office of Citizens Services
>
>/eop
>
>C: Miscellaneous File

FROM ARAMARK

>Subject: Per Father Mark Niznik
>Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 11:49:42 -0500
>From: "Albert, Debbie" <Albert-Debbie@aramark.com>
>To: <fadp@fadp.org>
>
>I have just spoken with Father Mark Niznik about the alleged incidents
>with foodservice to inmates on death row at two of Florida's correctional
>facilities and he suggested I contact you directly to correct the
>misinformation you may have received.
>
>After receiving a call on Friday, senior staff within ARAMARK Correctional
>Services began looking into the allegations. That investigative work
>continued throughout the weekend. We found that not one inmate registered
>any complaints about foodservice at either of those facilities in the past
>several weeks. We simply cannot find the source of the information.
>
>May I assure you that we take any allegations about our foodservices
>anywhere very seriously. If you have specific names and dates of
>incidents, I would be interested in seeing them. Other than that, I can
>assure you that we do our very best to provide the best foodservice
>possible to inmates throughout the US.
>
>Debbie Albert
>Associate Vice President
>ARAMARK Corporate Communications
>T: 215-238-3614
>F: 215-413-8511
>albert-debbie@aramark.com

FURTHER DETAILS ARE AT http://www.fadp.org/pressrel98.html

ALSO, check out: http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/starke/aramark.html

SENT BY:

Abraham J. Bonowitz
Director

Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP)
800-973-6548
mailto:fadp.org
http://www.fadp.org/
PMB 335, 2603 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hwy,
Gainesville, FL 32609

Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty works for restorative justice in the form of effective alternatives to the death penalty. It does so by
supporting and coordinating the work of organizations and individuals
educating and energizing the general public and state legislators
supporting the many persons affected by capital crime and punishment
advocating specific legislative improvements

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