Jail looks to trim back food bill, kitchen staff
Source: AIMEE GREEN, Oregonian, Thursday, March 23, 2006
..... In fall, the Clackamas County Jail convened a committee to look at the possibility of saving hundreds of thousands of dollars by contracting out its food service to a private company, like many jails and prisons across the country. But after months of study, committee members decided that contracting out for food service didn't turn out to be all it was cracked up to be, Howard said. Private companies have much higher employee turnover, said Al Jacobs, food services coordinator for the jail. Jail officials worry that such turnover might increase the likelihood of contraband being smuggled into the jail -- everything from drugs to weapons -- and require more background checks for hiring staff.