Audit finds financial mismanagement in prison food service

State auditors say financial mismanagement has put the future of a Tennessee prison food program in jeopardy.

The Tennessean newspaper reports that the comptroller’s audit outlines problems with the Tennessee Rehabilitative Initiative in Correction Board, or TRICOR. That’s a state inmate rehabilitation service that’s independent from the Correction Department but provides millions of inmate-prepared meals to Tennessee prisons.

According to the audit, TRICOR lost $4 million because it doesn’t have a written contract with the department for meals. So while TRICOR wants the state to pay $3.59 per meal, the department has only been paying $2.99. In July, it agreed to pay $3.15, but that still is not enough to cover costs, TRICOR says.

TRICOR acknowledged that it fired its chief financial officer and controller earlier this year because they were “not performing their duties and overseeing their responsibilities to a satisfactory level,” according to TRICOR’s response to the audit. TRICOR denies any intentional wrongdoing.

The audit outlines allegations TRICOR staff tried to mislead its board about the agency’s finances.

“We have serious concerns about whether TRICOR’s management has the ability to report accurate financial information,” the audit states.

The audit also raises concerns about the quality and size of meals provided.