The department also voluntarily complies with American Heart Association dietary guidelines. Inmates perform most of the meal preparation and last fiscal year they grew 5 million pounds of vegetables. The meals are inexpensive, averaging .74 cents per meal, because they are simply prepared, the food is bought in bulk, and uniform menus are used throughout the state to further control costs. As for health care, the state is required to provide appropriate levels of medical, dental and mental health care to inmates while they are in the department's care. This includes providing AZT and other drugs to inmates with AIDS, repairing teeth and providing counseling or appropriate medication to inmates with mental health problems.
Prisons are air-conditioned.
Only seven of the 55 major state prisons in Florida have air-conditioning in the living areas, and many of these are located in South Florida. Union CI was built in 1913 and has since been renovated with air-conditioning in some areas, such as its hospital. Corrections Mental Health Institution, which houses mentally ill inmates, employs both HRS and Corrections staff. Prisons built under the privatization contract are air-conditioned. Inmates who get life sentences don't really stay in prison for life.