Is this a legitimate penal strategy or does this violate the 8th amendment?

The sheriff of a county in Arizona believes that punishment should be harsh and humiliating. As a result, he serves inmates in his jail surplus or spoiled food, reinstituted the "Chain Gang" for both male and female inmates, and makes some of the inmates live in tents constructed alongside the jail complex. Is this a legitimate penal strategy or does this approach violate the provisions of the 8th amendment.