Strapped Prison to Inmates: There's No Free Lunch

Indiana criminals can no longer count on getting three square meals a day in prison; one cash-strapped lockup has cut lunches on weekends. Prisoners at Plainfield Correctional Facility now get two meals a day on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays: a “brunch” at 6am, and dinner at 4pm. The program could soon go statewide; Georgia has already done the same thing to cut costs—but Plainfield officials insist this isn’t a cost-cutting measure, reports the Indianapolis Star.

They say serving meals take too long, and that by cutting one, they’ve created more time for classroom and recreational activities. They note that prisoners can still buy food from the commissary. “You’d be amazed at what prisoners can do with a bag of Ramen,” says a prison spokesman. The ACLU says it hasn’t received any complaints from inmates, but will take action if it does. (More Indiana stories.)