News from the South - Oklahoma News Feed

Oklahoma Looks to Privatize Prison Food Service

Published

7 months ago

February 7, 2025

Staff Editor

oklahomawatch.org – Keaton Ross – 2025-02-07 06:00:00

Oklahoma Looks to Privatize Prison Food Service

by Keaton Ross, Oklahoma Watch
February 7, 2025

Fresh food was easy to come by when Teri Castle began serving time in the West Virginia Department of Corrections.

Women incarcerated at the Lakin Correctional Center had unlimited access to a salad bar at lunch and dinner. Many of the ingredients came from a prisoner-run garden.

That all changed when Aramark, a private food service company that operates in thousands of arenas, hospitals, schools and correctional facilities nationwide, took over in the early 2010s. Food from the garden no longer made it to the kitchen. She said the company started serving highly processed meals and charging prisoners for fresh fruits and vegetables as an add-on service called FreshFavorites.

“Whenever you can’t get those vitamins and minerals that you need, everything declines,” Castle said. “I ended up in the hospital because my iron level fell so low that I ended up in a seizure.”

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections is planning a similar transition from in-house to privatized food service. A pending request for proposal, set to close on Feb. 21, seeks a food service provider capable of feeding nearly 20,000 state prisoners daily. The agency plans to have the outside food vendor assume food service operations by late summer.

Corrections officials have pitched food service privatization as a solution to reduce waste and increase food quality, arguing that larger companies have proven their ability to serve better meals at a lower price. Critics question companies’ profit motive and point to examples of states where privatization went poorly, including West Virginia, Michigan and Missouri.

Rising food costs and inefficiencies across facilities have plagued the agency for years. A 2022 report from the Office of Fiscal Transparency found that food costs varied by more than 40% across prisons despite all facilities utilizing a master menu. Ashlee Clemons, the agency’s chief financial officer, told lawmakers its food costs have increased 30% since 2020.

“That’s a driver to get this privatized,” Executive Director Stephen Harpe said during a Jan. 21 Senate Public Safety Committee budget hearing. “They have a lot more leverage around pricing and logistics than we do, which should drive that [food costs] down.”

The request for proposal calls for bidders to have at least a decade of large-scale correctional food service experience. Once awarded, the vendor and corrections department would develop a master menu that meets minimum nutritional requirements.

The agency is also bidding out its commissary service to a private vendor. One of the largest commissary vendors in the U.S., the Union Supply Group, is owned by Aramark, sparking concern among prisoner advocates that vendors might intentionally serve bland food to drive up sales of higher-margin snack foods. Kay Thompson, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, said the agency will cap price increases as the vendor assumes operations.

“I can’t see them switching to something to save money and the food gets better.”

Linda Barnes

Prison officials also said they would assign monitoring personnel to oversee the outside vendor’s operations and regularly survey the inmate population on food preferences and quality via state-issued tablets. The vendor would be required to submit a corrective action plan if the scores fall too low.

Prison food experts interviewed by Oklahoma Watch said the inmate survey is a positive addition but they remain skeptical that the change will improve health.

“I have never seen an instance of a state switching from in-house to contracted food service where I’ve heard something positive about the results,” said Leslie Soble, the senior manager of the Food in Prison Project at Impact Justice.

Michigan fined Aramark hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2014 and 2015 as issues ranging from maggots in food to workers smuggling in drugs accumulated. Similar problems persisted when the state switched to Trinity Food Services in 2016. The state returned to in-house food service in 2018, with one high-ranking state lawmaker calling the contract a nightmare.

Missouri prisoners complained of eating bologna for several days after Aramark took over food service operations in 2023. The company responded to the allegations by stating it worked with prison officials to develop nutritional guidelines and aims to resolve issues quickly.

Daniel Rosen leads the Coalition for Carceral Nutrition, a nonprofit that aims to improve food quality in prisons and jails. He said prison officials are drawn to outsource food services because it’s expensive and time-consuming to maintain kitchen equipment, source food and recruit and retain food service employees.

Accountability can be tricky when the agreement doesn’t go to plan, Rosen said. States that opt to return to in-house food service face the logistical headache of re-hiring employees who left for the private vendor.

“They’ll kind of point fingers at each other and say it’s not their fault,” he said. “I do put a lot of blame for that stuff on government officials who write the contract without specific enough requirements. The less specific corrections agencies are about contract requirements, the more latitude these companies have to feed people whatever they want.”

The agency’s bid calls for menus to contain a minimum of 2,800 calories and less than 3.5 grams of sodium, but does not specify a minimum amount of fresh fruit or vegetables to be served. The proposal also requires vendors to purchase some food from the agency’s Agri-Services division but does not specify an amount.

Castle, who was released from prison in 2021 and co-wrote a research paper on West Virginia’s poor prison food quality, said prison officials can adopt several accountability measures to keep private vendors in check. These include creating a food oversight committee at every facility, requiring vendors to take a photo of every meal served and requiring regular unannounced sight checks.

“We’re not trying to create Disneyland ….”

Stephen Harpe

Oklahoma’s proposal states that corrections personnel and state or county health department personnel may conduct unannounced inspections, but does not specify how often those inspections must occur.

“It can turn into a disaster,” Castle said of states with lax food service oversight. “You’re going to see a lot more mental health issues, a lot more violence. It’s not going to be good if people can’t get what they need to survive.”

Emily Barnes, the founder of the Oklahoma prisoner advocacy group Hooked on Justice, said prisoners have been reporting poor food quality and small portions in recent months. But she fears a food provider with a profit motive could make things worse.

“I can’t see them switching to something to save money and the food gets better,” she said. “When you cut corners and the stuff is cheaper, I don’t believe there’s going to be an increase in quality.”

Harpe maintained that a change would benefit taxpayers and prisoners during a Jan. 24 House Appropriations and Budget Public Safety subcommittee hearing, citing poor survey results from the prisoner population.

“The problem is there’s a lot of waste and the food isn’t very good,” Harpe told lawmakers. “We’re not trying to create Disneyland, but the more we’re able to humanize those in our care, the less violence we’re going to have.”

This article first appeared on Oklahoma Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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News from the South - Oklahoma News Feed

Attorney General alleges AI used in Swadley's BBQ case

Published

6 days ago

September 11, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – KFOR Oklahoma’s News 4 – 2025-09-11 23:31:49

SUMMARY: Attorney General Drummond alleges that Swadley’s BBQ owner Brent Wadley and his defense team used artificial intelligence (AI) in legal filings, leading to errors and falsehoods as their trial approaches in November. The defense denies using AI, attributing mistakes to human error amid tight deadlines. The case involves allegations that Swadley’s overbilled the state by nearly $5 million in a state parks contract, leading to indictments in 2022. The defense seeks to remove the Attorney General, claiming his remarks compromised their fair trial rights. Experts warn AI use by attorneys may be unethical or illegal, with potential punishments pending.

Attorney General alleges AI used in Swadley’s BBQ case

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News from the South - Oklahoma News Feed

Judge Attempts to Quash Press Investigation With Gag Order

Published

1 week ago

September 9, 2025

Staff Editor

oklahomawatch.org – JC Hallman – 2025-09-09 06:00:00

by JC Hallman, Oklahoma Watch
September 9, 2025

On August 29, Oklahoma County Special Judge Michelle “Shel” Harrington heard arguments on an Adult Protective Services motion to restrict all visitation for Estelle Simonton, 91. Simonton was moved from her Del City home to Wolfe Living Center at Summit Ridge in Harrah in 2024, after being put under an APS guardianship order.

Harrington did not restrict all visitation, but she came close. Then she added a couple of stunners: ordering her son, Matthew Simonton, not to discuss his mother’s case with his mother and barring her from talking to reporters.

On August 4, Matthew Simonton went to visit his mother. Nursing home staff attempted to deny access; after a tense confrontation, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office was called.

Deputies deferred to statutory proof that a visit was legal; over strenuous objections from nursing home staff, a visit was permitted and a subsequent incident report confirmed that the nursing home did not have the necessary court order to deny visitation.

Though aged, Estelle Simonton was found to be lucid and expressed a fervent desire to be with her son.

“The judge had already ruled that I could see my mother,” Matthew Simonton said. “They were defying what the judge had already ordered.”

Participate in Decisions that Affect Them

In 2015, Rep. Richard Morrissette, D-Oklahoma City, requested guidance from then-Attorney General Scott Pruitt on when and how visitation to a vulnerable adult under a guardianship order can be restricted.

Pruitt’s lengthy opinion first articulated the guiding principle of Title 30, Oklahoma’s laws on guardians and wards.

The clear intent of the law, the opinion said, was to encourage the self-reliance and independence of wards as much as possible; to the maximum extent of their ability, wards should be enabled to participate in all decisions that affect them.

Restriction of visitation to adults under guardianship orders was detailed in Title 43a, Oklahoma’s mental health laws, the opinion said.

Wards should be permitted the ability to associate with whomever they wish, the opinion said; but if a judge does restrict access, the order must specify the persons who are to be restricted.

A Restraining Order is Hereby Entered

In the August 29 hearing, Harrington ruled against the APS request to restrict all access to Estelle Simonton; Matthew Simonton was permitted to visit his mother.

But the judge issued several other rulings.

Special judges in Oklahoma are not elected; district court judges appoint them, and their duties and powers are significantly limited.

Judge Harrington’s LinkedIn page identifies her not as a judge, but as an attorney whose practice is entirely restricted to family law; she is a “divorce lawyer who doesn’t like divorce,” and who values “dating smarter” and “keeping marriage strong.”

In addition to denying APS’s motion, Harrington issued three orders: Matthew Simonton cannot discuss his mother’s case with his mother; he cannot bring anyone other than his domestic partner and her child to visit Estelle Simonton; and access to Estelle Simonton is denied to any member of the media.

“A restraining order is hereby entered preventing Mrs. Simonton from being interviewed by press without further order of this court,” the ruling reads.

Predatory Guardianship

Rick Black, founder of the Center for Estate Administration Reform, which has investigated 5,000 suspect adult guardianships since 2013, said the story of Estelle Simonton reeked of judicial hubris.

Black said that Oklahoma’s guardianship system appeared to lack best practices designed to avoid abuse and ignored an obligation to seek the least restrictive alternatives to guardianship. A lack of respondent counsel, transparency and third-party oversight, combined with an absence of video recordings at hearings and a requirement to seal files to avoid independent investigation, were significant issues with Oklahoma’s system, Black said.

Nationwide, Black said, there was a growing trend toward using claims of defamation as retaliation against those who expose guardianship wrongdoing. Lawsuits have been used to hobble the production of exposé documentary films being produced by Netflix and A&E.

For Black, Estelle Simonton was a case in point.

“The desire to silence [her son] Matthew and isolate Estelle is consistent with a predatory guardianship,” Black said. “The judge attempting to silence media on Estelle’s situation is also concerning.”

Oklahoma law requires judges to seal guardianship cases, a double-edged sword that is meant to protect patient privacy but also effectively thwarts any third-party investigation or oversight, a problem exacerbated by Harrington’s gag order.

Oklahoma City attorney Andy Lester, who has chaired the Oklahoma Free Speech Committee since it was created in 2022, agreed that Harrington’s ruling looks like an inappropriate encroachment on the First Amendment and the freedom of the press.

“This ruling appears to be an overreaching prior restraint,” Lester said. “It looks like a restriction on Ms. Simonton, but, as worded, it purports to bar all press. That is a step too far.”

The court did not respond to a request for comment by the story’s deadline.

No Oklahomans for Oklahoma City Event

In October, the National Guardianship Association will hold a Guardianship/Conservatorship National Investigator Training Program in Oklahoma City. The three-day event will feature talks on nursing home regulations, the ethics and standards of guardianship, and the role of judges in guardianship cases.

Former NGA president Anthony Palmieri, who will deliver the conference’s opening remarks, noted in a September 6 LinkedIn post that there had been no registrations from Oklahoma for the Oklahoma City event.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to show the judge barred Estelle Simonton from speaking to the press, not Matthew Simonton.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Judge Attempts to Quash Press Investigation With Gag Order appeared first on oklahomawatch.org

Oklahoma Watch, at oklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article critiques the guardianship and judicial system in Oklahoma, highlighting issues of transparency, individual rights, and potential abuses of power. It emphasizes concerns about government overreach, the silencing of dissent, and the protection of vulnerable individuals, which aligns with a center-left perspective that often advocates for civil liberties, accountability, and social justice reforms. The tone is investigative and critical of institutional authority without veering into partisan rhetoric, maintaining a focus on systemic reform rather than ideological extremes.

News from the South - Oklahoma News Feed

College gameday preps underway in Norman

Published

2 weeks ago

September 4, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – KFOR Oklahoma’s News 4 – 2025-09-04 23:28:41

SUMMARY: College Gameday preparations are in full swing in Norman as the University of Oklahoma hosts Michigan in a highly anticipated top-20 matchup Saturday. The national spotlight returns to Norman for the second consecutive year, with the College Gameday stage being set up on the South Oval. Nearby, The Standard restaurant, co-owned by Cameron Brewer, was selected as the guest chef for the show after submitting a proposal to ESPN over Labor Day weekend. They will serve burgers, catfish po’boys, chicken and waffles, and desserts, starting early Saturday before bringing food to the College Gameday set. Excitement is high as the city gears up for game day.