Inmate wins case in prison diet inspections

By Cy Ryan

Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014 | 3:41 p.m.

CARSON CITY – An inmate serving two life terms for sexually assaulting a nine-year-old boy has won a suit alleging the state does not properly ensure the nutritional adequacy of prisoner diets.

Robert al. Stockmeier, housed at the Lovelock Correctional Center, filed suit against Tracey Green, Nevada's chief medical officer, claiming she does not conduct periodic diet inspections and does not file required reports with the state prison board.

The Nevada Supreme Court said Green failed to address the nutritional adequacy of the general population's diets and that an examination was conducted at only one prison.

The court sent the case back to Carson City District Judge Todd Russell and ordered him to direct Green to carry out the duties prescribed by law.

Green in her 2011 report said the there were no cases of malnutrition or vitamin deficiencies. Stockmeier complained only one prison was examined for its diet and that Green failed to make required inspections every six months.

Justice Michael Cherry, who wrote the decision, said Green’s report “fails to offer any explanation of how the examinations were conducted, what standards were used to determine the adequacy of the inmate diet and identify any deficiency in the diet…”