Here's the story of a sheriff who is in sharp contrast to the one posted last week.

Don't get me wrong. I think jail should be a highly unpleasant place to be. Still a public official should not be able to personally profit by actions like this.

Ala. sheriff locked up over measly jail meals


By JAY REEVES, Associated Press Writer Jay Reeves, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 3 mins ago

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A northern Alabama sheriff was in federal custody Thursday after a judge ruled he purposely fed inmates skimpy meals so he could make money from an unusual system that lets sheriffs turn a profit on their jail kitchens.

Morgan County Sheriff Greg Bartlett testified at a Wednesday court hearing that he made $212,000 over three years by cheaply feeding prisoners — every cent of it legal under a Depression-era state law and reported on his tax forms as income.

But U.S. District Judge U.W. Clemon ordered federal marshals to arrest Bartlett after hearing a string of skinny prisoners testify they were served paper-thin bologna, bloody chicken and cold grits in the north Alabama county's jail.

"He makes money by failing to spend the allocated funds for food for the inmates," Clemon ruled after a daylong hearing in a lawsuit filed by prisoners over jail conditions.

Clemon said Bartlett, who has been sheriff for six years, would remain in custody until he submitted a plan to feed prisoners meals that are "nutritionally adequate," as required by a previous agreement in the lawsuit.

Ten prisoners testified that they were so hungry after meals they are forced to spend hundreds of dollars at a for-profit store inside the jail for junk food like oatmeal pies and chips.

"We had an apple on Christmas, and I think we've had them one other time," said Clifton Goodwin, who's been in Bartlett's jail for 15 months.

Alice Hines, who has two sons in the jail on drug charges, said she gives them all the money she can — $50 sometimes, $100 others — to buy food from the jail store so they won't go hungry. Prisoners are even forced to buy basics like salt, pepper and ketchup to spice up bland meals.

"You're supposed to pay for your crime, but good God, feed them," said Hines.

Bartlett's lawyer, Donald Rhea, said the sheriff would be incarcerated in his own jail, but the department declined comment on Bartlett's whereabouts. The U.S. marshal's service did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Bartlett looked stunned as Clemon ordered him into custody. A lawyer for prisoners called his arrest "extraordinary."

"I was shocked by the amount of money he pocketed ... all while men and women in the jail go hungry," said Melanie Velez of the Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights.

Sheriffs in 55 of Alabama's 67 counties operate under a Depression-era system allowing them to make money operating their jail kitchens. The state pays sheriffs $1.75 a day for each prisoner they house and lets the elected officers keep any profits they can generate. Bartlett said he also received money from the county and the U.S. government for housing federal prisoners.

According to testimony, Alabama's ethics commission cleared Bartlett of a complaint in December, turning aside allegations that he improperly used his office for personal gain by profiting from inmate meals. The ethics commission cited the state law allowing the practice and a previous legal opinion from Alabama's attorney general.

Clemon's order dealt only with Morgan County, but the longtime head of the Alabama Sheriff's Association said its impact will be felt around the state since counties lack money to feed prisoners and state budgets are stretched thin.

"It's going to be real far-reaching. It's going to affect a lot of counties other than this one," said association executive director Bobby Timmons.

Bartlett testified he made a $212,000 profit over the last three years to supplement his annual salary of about $64,000. Bartlett said last year's profit was $95,000 — almost half of the total jail feeding budget of about $203,000 for about 300 prisoners. Bartlett said profits from the jail store are used to pay for equipment and training and don't go into his pocket

I hope the sick S.O.B. hangs

He should be forced to eat like that for the next three years.

Stuff like this is nothing new.

How many of you ever heard of someone just by rumour had gambling going on in a backroom or basement?

If you have heard about them do you not think the Top Law Official in your county hasn't?


i know of this being done. They get a couple grand a year not to raid them. Your sheriff.

But you can not do anything about it.

Why? Because you start asking question see what happens.


Pulled over for any little thing.

I got a ticket before I moved for a liscence plate light being out. 75 bucks..

I have asked and know nobody who has ever got a ticket for a liscence plate light being out.

In Mo. a truck does not have to have a light on thier liscence plate. Or at least semi's have several and they have no light.


It is called INTIMADATION.. This is what they do and you better do as they say. Or else.


They know that they will not be processecuted like you or me will.

It will not be the same. Then the cops word is worth way more than yours.

Try going up against a couple of cops in court.


No look around. It starts at the TOP and works it's way down.

I have been screaming about the PATRIOT ACT for some time now.


A lot of the small things like what i listed have been around for decades and nobody really cared.

Now though we have had 8 years of a President who more or less sain ME AND MY VICE PRES ARE ABOVE THE LAW.


The patriot Act gives the police a lot of leway.

All you have to do is look suspitious and they can arrest you and take you to jail.

They can break into your house just on suspicion.


This young man who was killed in Oakland.

He should tell you alot.

Why did they pull them off the train?

Did they afford them the benefit of the doubt when they got off the train?


Or were they guilty when the train stopped?



Thier guilt is what got them arrested.


This is your PATRIOT ACT IN FULL SWING.


We better raise hell. And stop this ABUSE!!!!

My small town has had a several cops go to jail in the last few years.

This is remarkable because we have a chief and at most two other officers at any given time. One used his car, uniform and badge to hijack a truck. That super genius was caught quickly. Another was using his knowledge of when local residents would be away to burglarize homes. He was caught by the state police. A third assaulted the husband of a local woman he was sleeping with when hubby came home early.

I think someone ought to review hiring practices haha

Morgan county is the county right above me. A cop in the same county was also arrested this week for stealing $70,000 in drug money. They found the cop in vegas.

yea i would guess this has went on for decades. The cops see's a easy payoff and who is going to complain.

Might be a little more dangerous than our courts though.

here is more rederick spurned from the PATRIOT ACT.

Surely the Police are always right.

Remember when we first heard of this.

They told us we needed to give the Officer the Benefit of doubt.

Then we know only the state really has EXPERT witnesses.

As you can see they do as the STATE tells them to


Some experts who viewed the video clips speculated that Mehserle fired his gun because he believed Grant had a deadly weapon, while others think the officer had mistakenly his handgun for a stun gun.

"If he was under stress he would not be able to distinguish between a Taser and his firearm," said Bruce Siddle, founder of PPCT Management Systems, an Illinois company that trains law-enforcement officers in use-of-force.



We talked about Tazers the other day. and how often they are used