RALEIGH -- Despite being on North Carolina's naughty list, state prison inmates can get Moon Pies, beef jerky and other foodstuffs for Christmas, paid for by loved ones on the outside.
But supply problems at SecurityPlus Packaging, the small Shelby company that holds the sole government contract for selling and shipping the holiday treats, have caused some inmates' gift boxes to arrive late or with the wrong items.
"The sad part is that, the majority of the time, we don't receive what we're supposed to have, meaning something is substituted or you just don't receive it period," lamented Demetrius Cofield, a convicted murderer serving a life sentence at Pasquotank Correctional Institution in Elizabeth City. "Each year, families have to call or write concerning items that are missing and then have a hard time getting reimbursed."
Those trying to reach SecurityPlus about the mix-ups this month found that the company's Web site offered no telephone number, e-mail address or mailing address. SecurityPlus is a subsidiary of Cleveland Vocational Industries, a nonprofit organization that provides jobs for people with developmental disabilities and others who face barriers to employment. Though the number is listed on the company's holiday order forms, many families mailed those off more than a month ago with their selections.
Internet message boards used by the family members and sweethearts of inmates offer a litany of complaints about SecurityPlus. Some who did manage to find the company's phone number reported waiting on hold for more than 30 minutes without getting help or in some cases being routed to a messaging system where a recorded voice said the mailbox was full.
Jeff Adams, the marketing director for Cleveland Vocational Industries, said Tuesday that Executive Director Kenneth Bagby could explain what went wrong with the holi day shipments. Bagby did not reply to messages left this week both with his office and with Adams, however.
In a Dec. 2 e-mail message to officials at the N.C. Department of Correction, Bagby blamed the delays on its suppliers, where SecurityPlus buys items it then resells for shipment to the prisons.
"This is the worst year I have ever experienced with a supply chain," Bagby wrote. "... At this stage I'm doing everything I humanly can. Your prayers would be appreciated."
Placating the prisoners
The late notice of the problems left prison officials scrambling to modify prisoners' expectations and control bad tempers, according to internal e-mails. The annual yuletide deliveries are an eagerly awaited holiday highlight for inmates living in facilities where good cheer can be in short supply.
Families used to be allowed to send holiday gifts directly to those behind bars. But that created a logistical nightmare for the prison staff, which had to thoroughly inspect every box for drugs, weapons and other contraband.
"We don't want every grandma or mother or whatever sending in their own cakes and cookies, and we have to search it all," said Keith Acree, spokesman for the prison system.
SecurityPlus won the exclusive state contract to sell holiday care packages for inmates in 2002. The company offers about 150 items that include just about any category of junk food found at a convenience store. Families can order up to $100 worth of goods, plus $6 for shipping and handling, to be sent with notes reading "Merry Christmas," "God Bless You," or "With Love From Your Family."
Acree said that despite some initial hiccups, SecurityPlus had generally performed well until this year, when the supply chain problems led to shipping problems.
Under SecurityPlus' contract, all deliveries were supposed to arrive at the 82 prisons and addiction treatment facilities scattered across the state by Dec. 11. Acree said Wednesday that the majority of shipments had arrived by this week, though some packages were still coming.
That means some inmates may have gotten their treats, while others in the same cellblock might still be waiting, Acree said. To help everyone get their packages, the prison system limits inmate transfers from one prison to another in the holiday season to avoid confusion.
As for inmates getting different foods from what was ordered, Acree said that's to be expected.
"Substitutions are allowed, and there are substitutions every year," he said. "One example is Slim Jims. They had Slim Jims on the order forms, but then the Slim Jim plant blew up, and you can't get Slim Jims now. So they're substituting something else for Slim Jims." (The ConAgra Slim Jim plant in Garner exploded in June, resulting in four deaths.)
A big business
Cleveland Vocational's 2007 federal tax return, the most recent publicly available, lists more than $4.7 million in revenues. Bagby was paid $116,950 in salary and benefits, while the charity's associate director, Carol Terry, made $83,356.
It is not clear how much of that money comes from managing the yuletide shipments. The company runs other business enterprises as varied as a thrift store and a petting zoo. In his 2009 contract proposal to the correction department, however, Bagby wrote that the Christmas job is the largest the company handles each year.
Adams, the marketing director, said the company had received 23,874 holiday orders this year for the prison system, which has 40,350 inmates. Those orders contained about 1.2 million separate items, he said.
"It's an intense project to receive and ship all those orders in about a two-month time frame," Adams said.
