Hamilton, OH – The sheriff of Butler County is pushing back against critics who have alleged his practice of feeding the “warden burger” to inmates who are in isolation for poor behavior qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment.

The burgers are made of healthy ingredients, including cabbage, carrots, tomato paste, potatoes, onion, ground turkey, beans, oats, dry milk, celery, and a pinch of salt, WXIX reported.

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said the recipe was even approved by a dietician.

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) and other agencies around the nation have been feeding the burgers to unruly inmates for years, WXIX reported.

The sheriff noted the deterrent with the warden burger isn’t the way it tastes, but rather the frequency with which it is served to inmates who have worked their way into isolation cells for negative behaviors, such as fighting.

During those solitary stays, which can last up to 10 days, inmates are given warden burgers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, WXIX reported.

“If you get in trouble and you go to an isolation cell, it’s no different than your regular cell,” Sheriff Jones told the news outlet. “And that’s what you get three times a day, and you get all the water you can drink. It’s very nutritious. It’s good for you. It has lots of fiber, and fiber is good for you, right?”

He said the ultimate goal is to deter inmates from behaving in ways that land them in isolation in the first place, WXIX reported.

“And this may be just a little piece that keeps you out of trouble, keeps you from hurting other people,” the sheriff explained. “That’s my goal here.”

Sheriff Jones ate the burger during his sit-down with WXIX.

When asked if he would be willing to eat the same meal three times every day, he said he would.

“Yeah. I’m easy to please like that. I come from a generation that you eat whatever’s in front of you,” the sheriff said.

Sheriff Jones is undeterred by those who berate him for using food as punishment.

“The State Department of Corrections is not my boss, so I basically don’t give two s—ts what they think,” he told WXIX.

“This is jail. You don’t get to choose. Your mommy and your dad and your aunt Lilly doesn’t get to make your meals,” the sheriff added. “I’m the one who get your meal prepared and makes sure it gets done.”