Chairperson Pinto and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Connor Zielinski, and I am a Data Associate at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI). DCFPI shapes racially-just tax, budget, and policy decisions by centering Black and brown communities in our research and analysis, community partnerships, and advocacy efforts to advance an antiracist, equitable future.
Ongoing efforts to construct a new jail facility, improve health services, and expand academic supports with the Department of Corrections (DOC) are critical steps to enhance living conditions for residents incarcerated in DOC.[1] DCFPI commends the DC Council for including provisions to improve nutritional standards and hospitality training opportunities for people incarcerated in DOC via Section 32 of the Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024 (Secure DC) passed last year. However, because the council did not allocate funding to Section 32 of Secure DC in fiscal year (FY) 2025, the DOC has not implemented these improvements yet.
My testimony focuses on the continued need to improve nutritional options for residents in DOC facilities. Specifically, to dedicate funding for the full implementation of Section 32 of Secure DC, also known as “Fresh Starts,” in the FY 2026 budget.
Improve Nutrition for Residents Incarcerated in the DOC
Everyone should have access to food that meets their dietary needs, yet the DOC has failed to provide access to nutritious and fresh food to individuals incarcerated in DC jails. Nutrition in DOC-run facilities is inadequate; the food is unhealthy, and often inedible. According to the 2023 DC Greens survey of over 300 people incarcerated at the DC Jail, respondents overwhelmingly described negative experiences with the food provided by the DOC.[2] Of those surveyed, over 70 percent responded that the DOC served them spoiled or rotten food during their incarceration. Due to the poor quality of food, survey respondents reported regularly skipping meals, going to bed hungry, or using commissary items to feel full. Additionally, nearly 90 percent expressed that the DOC rarely or never served them fresh fruit, and nearly three out of four respondents shared that they were rarely served fresh vegetables.
Numerous government agencies have extensively documented the inhumane food quality provided by the DOC, including the US Marshalls Service’s (USMS) 2021 inspection.[3] Among many other issues, the USMS documented that the DOC regularly held food at improper temperatures and DOC staff restricted food and water from inmates for punitive reasons.[4] Similarly, a 2017 inspection by the DC Auditor and Department of Health reported that the DOC and Aramark—the DOC’s food contractor—inadequately cleaned food and non-food surfaces and failed to prevent pests from contact with food.[5]
For the over 90 percent of Black people comprising the DOC population, who primarily come from communities where access to nutritious food is already limited, the lack of healthy food options in the DOC exacerbates current and historical health inequities.[6] Nutritional deficiencies are linked to increased levels of anxiety, depression, violence, and declines in physical health. This aligns with the DC Greens survey, which found that 80 percent of individuals reported experiencing declines in their physical wellbeing because of the food provided by DOC.[7]
Due to the poor food offered in DOC facilities, people often rely on commissary for their main source of meals. For people without monetary support, commissary prices can be extremely unaffordable, especially given the exploitative wages incarcerated workers earn. For example, a bundle of goods consisting of tuna, toothpaste and a t-shirt would cost $11.46, but would take 84 working hours to afford, based on the prevailing wage for workers.[8] Establishing a fund for commissary items is critically needed given their high costs and as the DOC works to improve food conditions. Such a fund should be expanded to include all other commissary items, like hygiene products, given that people in DOC facilities also rely on commissary for non-food items.
The Office of the Chief Financial Officer estimates that implementation of Section 32 of Secure DC will cost just over $4.2 million annually. DCFPI, along with the Fair Budget Coalition and Jail Food Working Group, strongly recommends the council dedicate the funding needed to fully implement this component of the law. It is our understanding that DOC has been working with the Jail Food Working Group to collaborate on ways to implement improvements across nutrition and programming, and we encourage DOC to continue those efforts.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. I am happy to answer any questions.
- To see budgeted levels for these investments, see: Department of Corrections, “Fiscal Year 2025 Budget,” Office of the Chief Financial Officer.
- DC Greens, “We’re Hungry in Here,” November 2023.
- The Washington Post, “U.S. Marshals Service Nov. 1 memo to D.C. Dept. of Corrections re: D.C. jail inspection,” November 21, 2021.
- Ibid.
- Office of the District of Columbia Auditor, “Poor Conditions Persist at Aging D.C. Jail; New Facility Needed to Mitigate Risks,” February 28, 2019.
- Lindiwe Vilakazi and Sam P.K. Collins, “Residents in Wards 7 and 8 Struggle with Food Insecurity Amid Grocery Store Shortage,” The Washington Informer, September 2023.
- DC Greens 2023, pg. 10.
- DCFPI analysis of DOC Concession Income, fiscal years 2018-2023. Adjusted in 2024 dollars. Figures excluded revenues collected from commissary items deposited into the Inmate Welfare Account (0602).