Crimemaricopa county sheriff joe arpaiosheriff joe arpaioVideo

Sheriff Joe Arpaio Charges Inmates For Meals In Maricopa County Jails

Controversial Sheriff Makes Inmates Pay For Jail Food

There's no such thing as a free lunch and for inmates in jails around Phoenix, there won't be free breakfasts or dinner either.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the controversial Arizona lawman, announced that beginning this month Maricopa County inmates would be charged $1 for their meals, according to ABC15.

It's more expensive to feed inmates, because the jail system receivers fewer food donations, Arpaio claimed. The fair solution is to make the inmates cover the difference, Arpaio said.

"Everybody else has to pay for their food, why should [inmates] get freebies?" Arpaio said in a video produced by Eye Opener TV.

Whatever money inmates have in their possession when they arrive will be put towards meals, according to Arpaio's payment plan. Once that cash is gone, the county will take funds out of inmates' jail accounts, which are filled up by family and friends.

"We're going to make sure we use that money before they go to the canteen to buy some chocolate bars," Arpaio said in the video. "If they don't like it, I would highly recommend they don't come to jail."

Arpaio is well-known for making inmates wear pink uniforms and denying that President Obama is an American citizen. He won't let any inmates starve if they can't afford the dollar-a-day meal tab.

"Those who don't have the money, come on, of course we're still going to feed them," Arpaio said.

The Guardian Express reports that Maricopa County inmates get two meals a day.

Though it's true that, as Arpaio said, most people have to pay for their own food, prisoners are significantly poorer than most Americans, according to the New York Times.

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Before You Go

DOJ Lawsuit Allegations Against Arpaio
Maricopa County Employees Call Latinos Derogatory Names(01 of06)
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Jail employees frequently refer to Latinos as "wetbacks," "Mexican bitches," and "stupid Mexicans," according to the lawsuit. An email that included a photography of a Chihahua dressed in swimming gear with the caption "A Rare Photo of a Mexican Navy Seal" was widely distributed by sheriff's office supervisors. (credit:AP)
Officers Mistreat Latinos In Routine Traffic Enforcement(02 of06)
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The lawsuit recounts how a Latina woman who was five-months pregnant and a U.S. citizen was stopped as she pulled into the driveway. "After she exited her car, the officer then insisted that she sit on the hood of the car. When she refused, the officer grabbed her arms, puled them behind her back, and slammed her, stomach first, into the vehicle three times. He then dragged her to the patrol car and shoved her into the backseat," reads the complaint.She was cited for failure to provide identification, which was later changed to failure to provide proof of insurance. The issue was resolved when the woman proved she had insurance to a court.In yet another case, two officers followed a Latina U.S. citizen a quarter of a mile to her home without flashing their lights. When she arrived home, they insisted that she stay in the car. The reason for the stop was a "non-functioning license plate light." After she tried to enter her home, officers took her to the ground, kneed her in the back and handcuffed her. She was brought to a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) substation and cited for "disorderly conduct," which was later dismissed, according to the lawsuit. (credit:AP)
Latinos Are Indiscriminately Detained In Immigration Raids(03 of06)
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A Latina born in the United States was taken into custody for four hours in a raid to determine her immigration status. Arpaio was quoted in response, "That's just normal police work. You sometimes take people in for probable cause for questioning and they're released." The suit notes that the reason for her detainment -- being Latina and present during a raid -- were insufficient. (credit:AP)
Arpaio And MCSO Staff Foster Discrimination Against Latinos(04 of06)
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Arpaio received a letter reading, "If you have dark skin, then you have dark skin. Unfortunately, that is the look of the Mexican illegals who are here illegally. ... I'm begging you to come over ... and round them all up." The sheriff labeled this as "intelligence" and forwarded to his deputy chief of enforcement operations for someone to "handle this."Upon receiving a letter backing the policy of "stopping Mexicans to make sure they are legal," he sent a letter of appreciation to the authors and kept three copies for himself, according to the lawsuit.An email circulated among MCSO staff had an image of a fake driver's license from "Mexifornia" and listed the driver's class as "illegal alien." (credit:AP)
MCSO Employees Fail To Provide Assistance To Prisoners With Limited English(05 of06)
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The failure to provide adequate language assistance caused some female Latina prisoners to remain with sheets or pants soiled from menstruation, alleges the suit.Others have allegedly been put in solitary confinement for "extended periods of time" for not understanding a command in English. (credit:AP)
MCSO Arrests Arpaio Critics Expressing Their First Amendment Rights(06 of06)
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The suit claims on multiple occasions that people were arrested for merely applauding against the office's immigration policies. The judge presiding over the case of the arrestees found that the deputy who made the arrest "believes it is his role to make uncomfortable anyone who express[es] views that disagree with the sheriff" and that he had "trampled" over the First Amendment. The court acquitted them. (credit:AP)
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