Sheriff defends serving ‘warden burger’ to inmates

HAMILTON, Ohio (WXIX/Gray News) - A sheriff in Ohio is catching heat for his use of the “warden burger,” which he serves to inmates in isolation.

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says it’s not made to taste bad and claims it’s a common practice across the country.

He says the punishment isn’t in the taste but in having the same thing for every meal for the duration of an inmate’s stay in isolation, which can last up to 10 days.

Jones took bites of the burger during an interview Wednesday night with WXIX.

“I would eat this,” he said. “Hell, I’m eating it now.”

The burger is made of tomato paste, flour, dry milk, oats, beans, ground turkey, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions, celery and “a pinch of salt,” according to the recipe.

Jones says he’s been serving it to inmates in isolation for years and has never been ordered to stop.

“This is jail,” he said. “You don’t get to choose. Your mommy and your daddy, and your Aunt Lily doesn’t get to make your meals. I’m your aunt. I’m your grandpa. I’m the one that gets your meal prepared, makes sure it gets done.”

Jones says inmates get put in isolation for things like fighting, and the burger is an added punishment.

“If you get in trouble and you go to an isolation cell, it’s no different than your regular cell,” he said. “And that’s what you get three times a day, and you get all the water you can drink. It’s very nutritious. It’s good for you. It has lots of fiber in it. Fiber is good for you, right?”

Jones says a dietician approved the recipe.

Asked whether he would eat the burger three times a day, Jones replied, “Yeah. I’m easy to please in what I eat. I come from a generation that you eat whatever’s in front of you.”

Jones says he’s had inmates think twice about acting out because they say they don’t want to eat the burger again.

“And this may be just a little piece that keeps you out of trouble, keeps you from hurting other people,” he said. “That’s my goal here.”

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