Last month's riot at Northpoint Training Center near Danville, Ky., was at least the second inmate protest at the medium security prison in the last two years.
The other disturbance occurred in October 2007, when 60 to 70 inmates staged a sit-in inside the prison yard to complain about prison food and canteen prices, according to an accreditation report completed in February by the American Correctional Association.
In the August 21 riot, inmates burned and damaged buildings at the Boyle County facility. Several were a total loss. Eight guards and eight inmates received minor injuries.
Since then, some prisoners and their families have contacted the Lexington Herald-Leader alleging that the quality and price of prison food and canteen items continues to be a source of unrest at the prison and may have played a role in the riot.
However, Justice Cabinet Spokesperson Jennifer Brislin said a Northpoint official responsible for handling inmate grievances told Brislin she had received no information from inmates that indicate concerns over food service or the canteen led to last month's disturbance.
At Northpoint, "there are nutritional standards and calorie levels that must be met, and there is a certified dietician who reviews the menus, so inmates are being offered nutritionally balanced meals," Brislin said.
Read more at Kentucky.com