
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, June 18, 1990                   TAG: 9006180142
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH                                LENGTH: Short

FOOD BALLS USED IN WAR OF WILLS WITH JAILED TEENS

Sheriff Gary W. Waters has no apologies for recent tough treatment of teen inmates waiting trial, who he says threw urine and food at deputies and waged a war of wills with jailers.

As hostilities worsened, jailers took away privileges including television, telephone calls, and visits from friends and family.

Regular jail food was replaced with a a congealed mixture of meat, vegetables and other nutrients called a "food ball."

"We're not going to let them control us," Waters said at the height of the hostilities.

The youths stayed up all night shouting and banging on the bars. The deputies took away their mattresses during the day so they would sleep at night.

For now, the hostilities have subsided, and the teen offenders have recovered some of their privileges, Waters said.

Relatives of four young inmates said they had received phone calls in the past week after, for some, three months of silence. Visitors are again allowed. And the food balls have been replaced with regular jail food.

But some of the relatives, fellow inmates and prison advocates said the jail staff went too far.

Waters said, however, "The ones we have are just mean people. You've got to make them behave."

When the food-throwing began, the deputies began serving the youths bag lunches, a sandwich and a piece of fruit, said Capt. Joseph Lilley, the jail's internal affairs officer. When that didn't work, they brought out the food balls.

One youth inmate told his mother it looked like dog food.

Waters compared it to meatloaf.

"Think of pizza all balled up," Lilley said.

by CNB