Pam Anderson, Sheriff Joe Team Up

Some inmates at the Maricopa County Jail did a double-take after seeing actress Pamela Anderson serving their lunches. The former Baywatch star was in town yesterday to help promote Sheriff Joe Arpaio's all-vegetarian meal program. Arpaio says cutting meat from the meals served to the more than 8,000 inmates has saved an estimated $200,000 per year. The jail has been serving vegetarian meals for 16 months now. Inmates are served a peanut butter sandwich with oranges and some crackers for brunch and a hot meal comprised of different vegetable and soy dishes for dinner.

Anderson is a longtime vegan, and says she hopes the meal initiative stands as a model for prisons and jails across the country. (It's apparently a model for Arpaio, who says in a press release that he's also beginning his own vegetarian diet.) Anderson is also a spokeswoman for PETA; the group came under fire for its association with Arpaio, who has long faced criticism that he unfairly targets minorities for law enforcement. (More Pamela Anderson stories.)