The Alabama Department of Public Health would have more authority to enforce state health codes in state prison and local jail kitchens and cafeterias under a bill pending in the Alabama Senate.
Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, said his Senate Bill 84 is needed because currently the ADPH inspects the facilities, but any issues are only reported to the warden with no obligation to remedy.
“I’m not saying they have to make it a five-star restaurant,” Stutts said during a Senate Health Committee meeting Wednesday. “But they ought to meet basic sanitation requirements. This bill simply requires the department of public health, just like they do with every other food service vendor or facility in the state, they will inspect the county jails and municipal jails and the Department of Corrections and they’ll have the authority to do something with the findings.”
Stutts said he’s heard of unaddressed health code issues in prisons and jails, including a months-long hot water shortage last year in the kitchen of Julia Tutwiler Prison, the state’s largest prison for women.
“If you’re a ward of the state, we have an obligation to make your living conditions humane,” Stutts said.
A comment from the ADOC about the bill or water shortage was not immediately available.
Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, said a restaurant in his district was shut down by the ADPH because it didn’t have hot water, but the department wouldn’t be shutting down prisons.
The legislation says the department can create rules for food safety in jails, but can’t shut down a facility without the approval of the body operating it.
The committee did not vote on the bill Wednesday after Sen. Billy Beasley, D-Clayton, asked for time to discuss it with jail officials in his district. A vote is expected next week.
Sen. Robert Stewart, D-Selma, thanked Stutts for sponsoring the bill.
“I think this shows we are trying to improve the conditions in our prisons,” he said.