Rhiannon Ingle
A sheriff has defended what has been dubbed the 'warden burger' served to solitary confinement inmates following outrage online.
The sheriff, who hails from Ohio, has doubled down on the 'meal' choice after three Democrats he mocked as 'the Three Stooges' accused the jail of serious failings.
Reps Christine Cockley and Mark Sigrist, along with state senator William DeMora, sent a letter last week (6 January) urging the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections to investigate the Butler County Jail.
They pointed to what they called 'documented evidence' of worsening conditions, including alleged overcrowding, heating problems and repeated food service breaches.
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Much of the criticism centred on the jail’s trademark 'warden burger' which is handed to inmates in isolation.
And it's far from a burger. In short, it's a grim, fibre-heavy mash of tomato paste, flour, dried milk, oats, beans, ground turkey, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onion and celery, finished with a 'pinch of salt'.
The lot is pressed into a patty and wedged between two slices of white bread.
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones has since taken it upon himself to post a video statement to Facebook responding to the three Democrats' accusations, which he states were 'the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen in my life'.
"[The warden burger] is approved by a dietician. It’s probably the most nutritious meal we serve. So you don’t like it, it’s not your mommy or your daddy fixing your meal. It’s jail. You only get that when you get in trouble," Jones claimed, adding: "Fibre’s good for you. A lot of people struggle to get fibre."
In the same video, he addressed the letter’s other allegations and assured watchers the prison staff would fix any reported heating issues.
He also insisted that the jail was roughly 200 inmates under capacity but, according to an August report released by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, 805 inmates were held at the county prison, which is 49 more than the department’s recommended capacity, but 39 below the Butler County Correctional Complex’s listed maximum housing capacity.
The same report, which was cited in the Democrats' letter, outlined how an inspector found that the jail violated the state’s 'important standards' on inmate meals, which require that each prisoner receive the same meals unless they have a health or safety concern.
Totally disregarding the Democrats' concern, Jones quipped that they only wrote it because 'they’re probably whining and crying because I have illegals in my jail'.
He said: "I have 400 illegals in my jail. Don’t come to this country illegally. If you do, sorry, you’re gonna come to jail."
Jones mocked: "They’re so hot and so angry, all they see is red. Flames. 'They’re gonna get Sheriff Jones, he’s a dumba**, he doesn’t know what he’s doing'."
Tyla has contacted the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections for comment.