Brick oven pizzas are now being delivered directly to inmates in a Chicago jail.
Cook County Jail allows its inmates to order $5 margherita pizzas or $7 “four seasons” upgrades in support of a program called “Recipe for Change.” The idea behind the program, which is run by chef Bruno Abate of the local restaurant Tocco, is to give inmates skills they can use on the outside world.
Sheriff Tom Dart approved the program for the jail’s primarily medium-security Division 11, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday.
“This isn’t coddling the detainees,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Cara Smith told the Tribune.
Pre-trial detainees have ordered 208 pizza pies since April 20 with their commissary cash.
Recipe for Change’s website says Mr. Abate’s mission is to “give dignity and opportunity to the inmates of Cook County Jail through an introduction to healthy food, good nutrition and the art of quality cooking.”
The nonprofit organization’s long-term plan aims for the establishment of “a community based facility outside where released graduates of the program could further hone their skills while re-assimilating into society.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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