Inmates Dine On Ostrich Casserole

The sheriff who dresses inmates in pink underwear, houses some outdoors in Army tents and keeps them in check with cameras mounted on dog patrols, has a new treat for prisoners: ostrich casserole.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio agreed to accept a donation on Wednesday of nearly 40 ostriches and emu from a Phoenix couple who operate an ostrich farm and want to reduce their inventory.

“I almost hate giving inmates such a fine quality meat product, but at least it’s free,” Arpaio said Tuesday.

The birds should provide enough meat to feed nearly 7,000 inmates two meals of ostrich casserole, Arpaio said. He has ordered his kitchen staff to begin experimenting with recipes for the meat.

“We’ve never served this stuff before, and we want it to at least taste good,” Arpaio said.

No one is predicting how the inmates will like the exotic meat, but Arpaio said they shouldn’t complain because it has significantly less fat, calories and cholesterol than beef.

Since taking office in 1993, Arpaio, who revels in his reputation as the nation’s toughest sheriff, has banned coffee and smoking, sex magazines and R-rated movies from the county’s jails.

He’s also made headlines for making inmates wear pink underwear to keep the garments from being stolen and for housing them in tents to ease overcrowding.