Sheriff Entrekin in Alabama received national attention when it was revealed that he'd bought a $740,000 beach house with money that he'd pocketed from inmate food funds. An Alabama law allows sheriffs to receive inmate food money directly into their personal account. The sheriffs are expected to buy the necessary food for inmates, but whatever is remaining is theirs to keep.
Many wondered exactly how Entrekin saved a whopping $750,000 over just three years. It turns out that the food that the inmates were eating was just as bad as people imagined: expired food, spoiled food, and even food marked with the words "not fit for human consumption." Entrekin allegedly secured the food for free or at rock-bottom prices.
AL interviewed former inmates at Etowah County jail to learn more about the details, including inmates that had worked in the jail kitchen. One of the most horrifying discoveries that AL made is that inmates were fed mystery meat that arrived in rolls and labeled not fit for human consumption. The kitchen disregarded the warning label, however, and the meat was mixed into pasta, stews, or other meals. No one knows what type of meat it was because it was not labeled. Furthermore, inmates say they were fed spoiled, donated chicken. One inmate confirmed that he cooked spoiled chicken, whereas another helped load the boxes into the kitchen. Another inmate added that a round of food came from a train wreck, and all of the food inside the train was bought at auction.
"I helped load these boxes of chicken that was culled because of tumors and abscesses and deformities or it was past its time to be shipped."
