Thanksgiving meals inside prisons ‘build morale’
LEXINGTON — Providing the state's prison inmates with a special Thanksgiving feast does more than just fill their bellies.
"It builds morale," said Carl Bear, warden at Joseph Harp Correctional Center in Lexington. "When inmates see that the administration and staff care … the inmates are more involved. They want to be active in programs. They want to be active in cognitive behavior, substance abuse treatment.
"As long as we treat them as somebody’s brother, as somebody’s son, and treat them with respect, they give us respect," Bear told The Oklahoman. "We are producing a better person to go back out and be a more positive citizen in society."
At Joseph Harp and other state prisons, inmates, including those on death row, will dine this November holiday on turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, corn, cranberry sauce and dessert. Bear said his inmates will choose between peach cobbler and vanilla cake with chocolate icing for dessert.
"They like things that are out of the norm, that are different from every day," Bear said of the inmates. “When you provide quality meals and you provide a quality atmosphere for them to do their incarceration,
tell you they appreciate it. It gives them a sense of comfort."
Bear also said food is one of the best tools for security management inside the prison. He said 95 percent of riots start in food service.
“When things go bad in the kitchen, they go bad in the facility. If we take care of the little things, the big things never happen,” Bear said. "People get a full belly, they lie in their bunks, they take a nap, they call home."
Because of the holiday, Joseph Harp will have extended visitation at the facility on Thursday and Friday, Bear said. The prison houses more than 1,300 inmates, some whowork in the kitchen as cooks. Bear said the cooks start preparing the Thanksgiving meal days in advance.
"It's just an endeavor," said Bear, adding the facility ordered 100 full-size turkeys to serve for the meal.
“Wardens in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections really strive on the quality of service that is provided to the inmates," Bear said. "We just don’t lock them up and throw away the key. There’s a lot of people behind the scenes that do day-today stuff that ensure that the quality of life is good for inmates.”
Bear said he has worked for the Corrections Department more than two decades. He has been warden at Joseph Harp since 2014. Joseph Harp is a medium-security prison for males.