Ads by Google Ads by Google

Inmates complain about food at TCF

Inmates at the Territorial Correctional Facility in Tafuna have launched a public complaint about the daily meals they receive in jail.

The complaint, in a letter written to Samoa News, has it that the inmates consume mackerel soup (sua pilikaki), noodles (saimin) and oatmeal three times a day.

According to the letter’s author, Mike Agasiva, who is an inmate, they eat mackerel everyday, even on holidays like Christmas 2011, New Years 2012 and also the past Presidents Day holiday.

Warden Lumana’i Maifea told Samoa News that there are 170 inmates housed at TCF.

According to the letter, prisoners have oatmeal for breakfast, mackerel soup for lunch and noodles (saimin) for dinner. The inmate in his letter explains that they use three cans of oatmeal for the daily breakfast and two cases of noodles for dinner, which is never enough for all the inmates.

(Samoa News notes that every time Chief Justice Michael Kruse asks an inmate who is up for sentencing what he had for dinner, the response is either mackerel gravy or noodles/ saimin.)

The Warden vehemently denies these complaints that “all the inmates have for their meals are mackerel”, explaining to Samoa News that it’s true that the inmates receive mackerel during a meal, however, “the inmates have mackerel twice a week… there are different meals that are received by the inmates.”

He added that the inmates have three meals a day, seven days a week.

Samoa News was able to view a container, which stores the frozen food supplies for the inmates for their daily meals, which included cases of chicken, chicken franks, turkey tails, beef, lamb flaps, turkey wings, etc. A store room with cases of saimin, mackerel, bales of sugar and flour and other items was also viewed by Samoa News, including a cooler area for eggs, butter, etc.

Warden Maifea said the inmates usually have mackerel on Mondays, because on Saturdays and Sundays inmates have visitations from their families and they are given all sorts of food by the visitors.

Maifea told Samoa News that “some Mondays they have curry mackerel, Tuesdays they have lamb flaps, Wednesday, beef soup, Thursday turkey wings and on Fridays, turkey tails are served.”

He added that some days they have fried chicken, eggs, bread and butter with other food.

The Warden noted that more than $30,000 is allocated quarterly for the daily meals for inmates.