Canada's prison watchdog says small portions and inferior quality food are driving heightened tensions and a black market economy behind bars. In his annual report to Parliament, Correctional Investigator Ivan Zinger said spending cuts in 2014 resulted in a fixed daily food budget of $5.41 per inmate. The supply of food has become part of the underground economy, where it is bought, bartered and sold for other items, Zinger said. "Not surprisingly, when these changes were first introduced, inmate grievances related to food issues spiked," the report reads. Prison work: Less than 10 per cent of inmates are gainfully employed at any given time, and too many are engaged in menial institutional jobs rather prison industries that will lead to viable work after they are released.

Source: CBC News October 31, 2017 18:00 UTC