LANSING, MI - The Michigan Department of Corrections plans to move prison food services back in-house after encountering a deluge of issues with private contractors.

The announcement came in conjunction with Gov. Rick Snyder's annual budget proposal. He proposed moving the prison food contract the state had outsourced back in-house at a cost of $13.7 million.

The Department plans not to renew its contract for food service with Trinity and bring 350 jobs back into state government, according to the Michigan Department of corrections.

"As the contract with Trinity was approaching its end, we took the opportunity to re-examine our operations," Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington said in a press release Wednesday.

"After discussing options with Trinity, it was determined it was in the best interest of both parties not to renew our agreement. We believe the department's needs would be better met by returning to state-run food service."

The state first outsourced the food contracts in 2013 under pressure from the legislature. Soon afterward, public complaints started surfacing about the initial contractor the state had chosen, Aramark.

In 2014, it came to light that an Aramark worker had ordered a rodent-nibbled cake served to prisoners. Also in 2014, the state fined the company for at least 12 instances of its employees having improper relationships with prisoners.

The state terminated its contract with Aramark early and went with Trinity, but the problems with workers didn't end. In 2016 a worker was let go over a drug allegation. Last year a prison food service worker was fired for having sex with an inmate in the cooler.

But asked in a roundtable of reporters if the scandals factored into the decision to end the privitization, Snyder said he wouldn't use that word. The decision is fueled by the fact that "It doesn't make sense anymore," he said.

Washington said while there had been several incidents, but the most consistent issue was staffing levels.

"There have been various incidents and things, but the main challenge is about keeping the positions filled," Washinton said.

She said the state and Trinity were in a contract that ended on July 31, 2018, and the two parties decided together not to renew the contract when it expired.

MDOC spokesman Chris Gautz said over the life of the contract the state had saved $42 million by outsourcing.