Three inmates at the Black Hawk County Jail are filing federal lawsuits claiming meals at the jail are violating their civil rights.

The lawsuits claim that small portion sizes and a 5:30 dinnertime are leading inmates to suffer a late evening hunger attack that they claim constitute “cruel and unusual punishment.”

The three inmates who have filed the suits are Tony Grider, Jessie Davis and Charles Mack Junior. They claim that the meals served at the Black Hawk County Jail are significantly smaller than those served in other facilities and they are seeking payment of $1,000 per day for pain and suffering.

By Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls