The county jail food is considered the worst of the three. Their budgets are smaller, the inmates are not typically there for long periods of time and that translates into a more narrow selection of menu options. State and federal inmate meals are overseen by a registered nutritionist and meets dietary standards but might not meed flavor standards. Federal has a national menu that is available for anyone to see - it is by far the best of the three.

Yes they do, all of the facilities nationwide offer what inmates call the "best meal of the year". The second best meal is for Christmas.

Yes they do. However it is not an elaborate meal with outlandish requests. Some requests that are granted are steak, cheeseburgers, ice cream or pizza. But they will not bring lobster or anything like that.

The facilities do not service, but inmates with money on their books may buy instant coffee from the commissary

Yes, all facilities offer Ramadan meals, kosher meals, no-pork diets or any religious accommodation.

Inmates that are in disciplinary hold, also called the Special Housing Unit (SHU), or the hole, or the "box" are given three square meals. In fact, they are given hefty portions to keep them calm. Food is the least of their worries while isolated there. Inmates in this situation are usually restricted from buying too many items from the commissary making it near impossible to feed themselves.

The prison food is generally bland. Menus are usually designed by a nutrition for a balanced diet of calories, proteins, carbohydrates and fats.  The taste is not great as they don't have much extra to season the food so you get some mediocre meals. But be certain that the inmates are getting at least 2500 calories per day. You can always put money on their commissary to buy the little extras like bags of tuna, chicken, and mackerel; to go

Usually the meal times are 6am-7:30am for breakfast; 11:00am-12:30 for lunch and 4:30 - 6:00 for dinner

Absolutely. Inmates are fed three meals per day albeit not always the "tastiest". These meals are engineered by a nutritionist that are guided by a minimum standard set for nutritional value and calories.

The short answer is "generally no". But the food is far from gourmet. In the county jails and state prisons, the meals are simple and heavy on carbohydrates (breads, pasta) and lots of weird looking bologna sandwiches. In the federal system, the meals are on a national schedule, for instance Wednesday lunch is "burger day". All things considered, the food is bearable, BUT it's nice to have money in your commissary to be able to supplement the food an inmate