Dakota County Jail

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Meals

Interview with Shawanda Miller, Jeremy and Chuck

JM: How many meals did you get per day?
Shawanda Miller: 3 meals a day. Before they would give breakfast and 2 hot meals. Now they only give 1 hot meal per day usually lunch. Supper generally brown bag - sandwich, chips, fruit, milk.
Jeremy: I got a sandwich at intake at 5pm...the next meal was at breakfast at 7am!! Then lunch around 1pm...i was released after that....
Chuck: 3 meals a day. For breakfast you get one of those small things of cereal and carton of milk, an oragne. Your lunch is biggest meal, a full meal and dinner is bologna sandwich.

JM: How would you rate the food? Please give details of why.
Shawanda Miller: Not the best but you get used to it. Alot of inmates rely on there canteen because you get small portions. When I was housed in Goodhue county because of Dakota not housing females there, Goodhue county food was alot better. The turkey sandwich's were the best, the salami sandwich's were the worst in my opinion.
Jeremy: Terrible! I couldnt believe it!
Chuck: Pretty bad. It was contracted out to lowest bidder that can be miserable.

JM: Did you have any favorite/least favorite meals?
Shawanda Miller: Yes favorite - turkey sandwich's - least salami/bologna sandwich's. Breakfast when they had fried potatoes were good. Hotdogs weren't the best nor was the scallop/ham dish.
Chuck: No such thing as a favorite. Everything was bland and over salted.

JM: Were there any other snacks offered outside of meals? What was commissary like and how expensive was it?
Shawanda Miller: Yes through canteen which you could order twice a week. Coffee, hot chocolate, pkged fruit drinks, candy bars, mint's, salami/slim jim sticks basically what I ordered. Now they have soda too, but when I was there they didn't offer soda.
Jeremy: There was a soda vending machine and a vending machines with candie, soups, chips etc..etc..i had money on my books so i purchased a soda and some candy! But they are expensive! I think i paid $1.50 for a can of Pepsi.
Chuck: You get canteen once a week. They had pop machines an candy machines in every unit. Canteen is the currency in the jail.