The Michigan Department of Corrections and Aramark failed to properly address nearly half of 3,700 issues with food safety and security within the state’s prisons, according to a report released Tuesday by Progress Michigan, a Lansing-based liberal group.
A review of 25,000 pages of email communications between the MDOC and Aramark reveal that of 3,707 issues—1,791 (or 48 percent) during an eight-month period between March and October 2014—went unresolved, according to the report.
Authors of the report said the request for the documents was prompted after the state’s prison director canceled a fine in early 2014 against the foodservice provider.
The report concluded that the MDOC and Governor Snyder’s administration repeatedly failed to force Aramark to improve its performance.
"The Michigan Department of Corrections and the Snyder administration failed miserably at holding the out-of-state contractor accountable," said Lonnie Scott, president of Progress Michigan, in a statement. "And therefore were just as responsible for the bevy of issues that plagued the scandal-ridden contract as Aramark was themselves."
The foodservice vendor’s three-year, $145 million contract ended by mutual agreement last month, with MDOC officials stating the contract was terminated due to unresolvable contract issues, and not the continuance of negative headlines about the contractor's performance in Michigan prisons.
“We know that public/private partnerships work and are proud to have served the state during a major groundbreaking shift to privatization that saved Michigan taxpayers over $20 million,” Karen Cutler, vice president of corporate communications for Aramark, told FSD via email.
Trinity Services Group has been selected as the new foodservice provider and will have full control of foodservice in the state’s prisons by September.