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Agency official urges BOP staff to 'do the right thing' on food safety and decency
Summary
An agency official addressing staff of the Federal Bureau of Prisons urged employees to prioritize basic decency and integrity over procedural checklists, citing an anecdote about an inmate receiving a meal made with expired food and telling wardens, "If the answer is no, then don't serve it."
An agency official addressing staff of the Federal Bureau of Prisons told employees to prioritize basic decency and integrity in daily work and to refuse practices they would not accept personally.
The official said the remarks were not about policy or reciting mission statements but about character, arguing that written values do not replace individual judgment. The official added that if someone needs training to know not to serve expired food, "we've missed the point."
The official recounted visiting an institution where an inmate said he had been served a meal made with expired food and said they asked the warden, "Would you eat that?" The official continued: "Before they could answer I said, if the answer is no, then don't serve it. Period!" The anecdote was offered as a concrete example of how staff choices affect the dignity of people in custody.
The official framed the message as broader than food safety, saying, "That's not just about food safety, that's about human decency," and warned that the bureau will be remembered for "how we made people feel and how we treated them." The speaker urged staff to build "a culture of decency, respect and professionalism," grounded in integrity and pride in work.
The address concluded with thanks for staff service and a call to action: "Now, let's get to work."
