PURPOSE OF ORDER:
The purpose of this order is to establish procedures related to inmate meals at the Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF).
SCOPE OF ORDER:
This order shall apply to all personnel who are assigned to and/or working in any capacity at the CRDF.
ORDER:
Inmate meals shall be served three times during each 24 hour period. At least one of these meals shall include a hot meal. If more than 14 hours has elapsed between these meals, supplemental food shall be provided.
A minimum of 15 minutes shall be allowed for the actual consumption of each meal except for those inmates on medical diets where the responsible physician has prescribed additional time. If the inmate misses a regularly scheduled facility meal, they shall be provided with a sandwich and beverage in lieu of that meal.
Food Services Unit (FSU) personnel shall obtain a current inmate count for each module and area from kitchen custody personnel, two hours prior to the meal. Kitchen custody personnel shall announce via the county issued handheld radio when the food carts are available for pick-up. Rover deputies shall supervise the inmate workers during the transportation of the flatbed food carts from the kitchen to the housing areas. Prior to leaving the kitchen, the rovers shall ensure all items for the meal are on the food carts by verifying the items against the menu which is to be taped to each food cart. Any discrepancy shall be immediately reported to the kitchen deputy. If any menu item discrepancies arise, personnel shall immediately consult with custody personnel assigned to the kitchen area. Food carts shall be delivered to housing area sally ports by the inmate workers under the supervision of custody personnel. For additional information regarding transportation of food, inmate meal consumption, inmate conduct during meals refer to Custody Division Manual (CDM) section 5-13/010.00, "Inmate Meals."
For information pertaining to facility written food service plan and frequency of servings refer to the California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 15, sections 1243, "Food Service Plan, and 1240, "Frequency of Servings."
Serving Procedures
Module personnel shall supervise inmate workers preparing for the service of hot meals to ensure compliance with the FSU, "Bulk Feeding and Inmate Hygiene Rules." [REDACTED TEXT]
All inmate workers handling food shall be required to wear hair nets to contain loose hair and help prevent the contamination of food. They shall wash their hands, including their forearms, with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds. All food handlers shall wear gloves when serving food.
When providing meals to inmates located inside of their respective cells, module personnel may allow inmate workers to assist in delivering the food to inmates inside their cells; however, food is NOT to be placed on the floor. Module personnel shall open each cell door as the inmate worker approaches the cell to help deliver the food.
Inmates prescribed therapeutic/special diets shall receive their meals in a timely manner. If the special diet has been delivered to the incorrect module, it is the responsibility of module personnel to have the meal delivered expeditiously to the inmate’s current housing location.
For additional information pertaining to establishing and maintaining health standards, the assignment of inmates to all phases of food handling and food serving supervision refer to CDM section 5-11/040.00, "Food Handling," and CCR Title 15, sections 1246, "Food Serving and Supervision," and 1230, "Food Handlers."
Direct Supervision Modules
Direct supervision modules may serve day room sleepers first, followed by each tier, to allow for sufficient tables and seating for each inmate receiving meals, per Title 15 regulations. At no time shall any food tray or container be placed on the floor. This includes sandwiches and beverage crates.
Special Population Modules
Inmates housed in special population modules (i.e., HOH, discipline, etc.) who consume meals inside their cell, shall have their trash removed at least two times per day.
Custody personnel shall approach each cell door and instruct the inmate to discard their trash. If an inmate refuses, and after several attempts made by custody personnel to retrieve the trash is unsuccessful, module personnel shall notify the tower supervising line deputy. A plan shall be formulated to retrieve the trash.
Court Line Meals
Food carts shall be delivered to the housing modules for court line meals at 0400 hours. Inmates returning from court after 1800 hours ("late court returnees") shall be provided a hot meal. The Reception Center shall be responsible for distributing hot meals to all late court returnees as follows:
Reception Center
The Reception Center shall maintain a supply of sandwiches and juice throughout the day, for inmates being processed during breakfast and lunch. The processing deputy shall call the kitchen supervisor to replenish food supplies as needed.
Booking Center
Inmate workers assigned to the booking area, or a module where male inmates are temporarily housed, may serve meals through the tray slots and under the direct supervision of custody staff. At no time shall these inmate workers be left unsupervised.
Module 1400
Module 1400 is considered an extension of the Inmate Reception Center (IRC) and is designed to house inmates on a temporary basis; however, inmates are often housed longer than a twenty-four hour period due to the extensive healthcare assessments that are required. As a result, a hot meal at dinner time shall be served.
Inmate Workers Feeding
Inmate workers working Early Morning shift in the kitchen shall be fed breakfast at 0300 hours. Inmate workers at their work assignment shall be allowed to return to their housing area for feeding. Inmate workers who are not able to return to their housing area shall be provided a meal and beverage by their work location officer.
Special Diets
Food Services staff shall prepare all medical diets as requested by Correctional Health Services (CHS) personnel. Only the attending physician shall prescribe a medical diet. Inmates returning from court shall be provided their medical diet upon their return. Custody staff shall provide the kitchen supervisor with the inmate’s name and booking number, and request the inmate’s medical diet. Medical diets shall be delivered to the inmate while regular inmate meals are served. Inmate workers shall not rummage through medical diet plates for preferred food items.
Inmates prescribed medical diets shall receive their meals in a timely manner. If the medical diet has been delivered to the incorrect module, it is the responsibility of module personnel to have the meal delivered expeditiously to the inmate’s correct housing location.
Religious Diets and Lifestyle Diets
The Office of Religious and Volunteer Services (RVS) is responsible for approving the diets only for inmates who request accommodation due to religious beliefs.
FSU is responsible for providing all approved religious diets.
If an inmate is arrested on the weekend or holiday and they require a religious diet, the chaplain shall notify the watch commander who shall order the religious diet from the FSU. The chaplain shall also notify RVS of the request on the next business day.
Inmates requesting a lifestyle diet do not require a chaplain review. FSU will ensure there are sufficient amounts of Kosher, Halal, vegetarian, and vegan meals readily available at intake areas for inmates requesting these items.
For additional information pertaining to medical, religious, and lifestyle diets refer to CDM section 5-13/010.00, "Special Diets," and CCR Title 15, section 1248, "Medical Diets."
Prenatal Diets/Special Diets/Water for Pregnant Inmates
When a pregnant inmate misses a special/prenatal diet meal because she changed housing locations, was delayed at court, in the hospital, or at another location, the module officer shall immediately contact kitchen personnel to locate the meal. If the inmate was previously housed in another location, they shall contact the prior housing module to inquire if the meal was delivered to their location. If the special/prenatal diet can be located, custody personnel shall be sent to retrieve it immediately. Efforts to locate the special/prenatal diet shall be documented in the e-UDAL. In circumstances where the special diet/prenatal diet is not available, custody personnel shall ensure the pregnant inmate receives a sufficient amount of food, from standard inmate meals that are available ("double-ups").
NOTE: For health reasons, pregnant inmates, shall not knowingly be provided cold cut meats. If custody personnel are made aware that a pregnant inmate has received cold cut meats as a part of their meal, custody personnel shall make arrangements to provide a suitable alternative to the pregnant inmate, in lieu of the cold cut meats.
All pregnant inmates shall receive four (4) bottles of water on a daily basis. With each meal, they shall receive bottled water as follows:
Two (2) bottles of water with breakfast
Two (2) bottles of water with lunch
Two (2) bottles of water with dinner
For additional information regarding policies and procedures pertaining to pregnant inmates refer to CDM section 7-02/010.00, "Pregnant Inmates."
Food Contamination
The senior cooks assigned to the kitchen keep a tray of every meal served to the inmates in a refrigerator for a period of 72 hours. In the event of contaminated food or food poisoning, the tray shall be sent to a lab for examination. In the event of food poisoning, the watch commander, medical personnel, and the senior cook in the kitchen shall be notified and shall complete the appropriate reports.
Kitchen facilities, sanitation, and food storage shall comply with standards set forth in Health and Safety Code. For additional information, refer to CCR Title 15, section 1245, "Kitchen Facilities, Sanitation, and Food Storage."
Return of Empty Food Carts and Dirty Tray Carts to the Kitchen
Inmate workers serving food shall rinse the serving utensils and return them to the module deputy. The module deputy shall then account for all the serving utensils.
Empty food containers, food carts, utensils, and dirty trays shall be removed from the housing areas and returned to the kitchen as soon as possible after each meal by the floor rover, or their designee. Kitchen custody personnel shall verify all utensils are accounted for. Any discrepancy shall immediately be reported to the appropriate supervising line deputy and sergeant.
For additional information describing the acquisition, use of all food products, nutritional and caloric requirements, refer to CDM section 5-11/050.00, "Accountability for Food Items," CCR Title 15, section 1242, "Menus," and 1241, "Minimum Diet."
Revised 12/06/21
Revised 01/13/20
Revised 02/07/19
Revised 03/22/18