# Vegetarians in Prison **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 4, 2008, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289 "2008-07-04T13:00:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oswald\_Bastable](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oswald_bastable/32/214_2.png) [@Oswald\_Bastable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oswald_Bastable)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/1 "2008-07-04T13:00:54Z")
Not wishing to hijack the thread on [Jews in Prison](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=474257) I’m starting this thread. I understand that prisons (in the West at least) have to cater for religious dietary requirements - does the same hold true for other, let’s say purely philosophical, dietary requirements, such as vegetarianism or veganism? If I were a vegetarian prisoner, would I get special meals? OB ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/2 "2008-07-04T16:34:59Z")
[A recent thread that touched on the subject.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=468876) You’ll either need to start eating meat, go hungry, or convince the chaplain that you need a religious diet such as halal or kosher. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/3 "2008-07-04T16:41:25Z")
I would like to claim band name rights of refusal to **Vegetarians in Prison**. I ain’t touching **Jews in Prison**. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/4 "2008-07-04T16:58:04Z")
[QUOTE=gotpasswords] [A recent thread that touched on the subject.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=468876) You’ll either need to start eating meat, go hungry, or convince the chaplain that you need a religious diet such as halal or kosher. [/QUOTE] That’s pretty much it. [Vegetarian Resource Group - Journal](http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2001mar/2001marprison.htm) > **[2007-07MLJ301.pdf](https://www.aele.org/law/2007JBJUL/2007-07MLJ301.pdf)** > > 136.12 KB > **[Court: Vegan inmate's rights violated - UPI.com](https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/06/19/Court_Vegan_inmates_rights_violated/UPI-86911213895435/)** > > A Massachusetts inmate had his civil rights violated by prison officials who denied him a vegan diet, a U.S. federal judge has ruled. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/5 "2008-07-05T07:16:35Z")
I was working in an English prison a couple of years ago(Construction not as a prison staffer)and was amazed at not just how many specialised diets there were but the sheer number of inmates from minority cults who were banged up for serious offences,mostly murder. But when I mentioned it to one of the Screws he told me that the professed religions were of convenience. Some diets got extra sweets to make up for not having this,others received a milk supplement for not having that and so on. The Cons used to trade their perks amongst themselves. The food itself was excellent but though offered we weren’t allowed to eatit incase at a future date the cons might ask us to return the favour by bringing stuff in. So there we are eating crappy sandwiches while inmates ate like kings. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/6 "2008-07-05T15:17:37Z")
I mentioned a friend of mine who was in California prison in the other thread mentioned in the OP. He is a vegetarian. At meal time he would trade his meat with other inmates for their veggies. The going rate was like one fifth of his meat for the entirety of someone’s vegetables so he ended up with huge meals. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/7 "2008-07-06T02:05:36Z")
> [@](#): > > So there we are eating crappy sandwiches while inmates ate like kings. Nobody in prison is eating like a king. The food in prison is still institutional - think the stuff you get in a hospital or high school. It’s food that’s made with an eye on feeding a lot of people cheaply and with the recognition that they can’t take their business elsewhere. It’s okay but there are plenty of employees who order sandwichs from the deli every day. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/8 "2008-07-08T20:11:44Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > Nobody in prison is eating like a king. The food in prison is still institutional - think the stuff you get in a hospital or high school. Um, you’re aware that you’re talking about two entirely different countries, aren’t you? If you re-read **Lust4Life** ’s post, you’ll find that he says right there that the food was great at the prison he worked at…_in an entirely different country than the one you’re talking about_. Are you saying you know more about that prison, which _he worked at_, than he does? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/9 "2008-07-09T00:52:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Um, you’re aware that you’re talking about two entirely different countries, aren’t you? If you re-read Lust4Life’s post, you’ll find that he says right there that the food was great at the prison he worked at…in an entirely different country than the one you’re talking about. Are you saying you know more about that prison, which he worked at, than he does? He might be right. But it would be the first time I ever heard somebody say inmates live like kings and be right. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/10 "2008-07-09T01:41:24Z")
When did he say inmates live like kings? He said they _eat_ like kings at the particular _English_ (that part is pretty important) prison he worked at. Considering how much nicer the British government is to its citizens about almost _everything else_, is it really so hard to believe that ONE prison there has good food? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/11 "2008-07-09T03:03:32Z")
> [@](#): > > When did he say inmates live like kings? He said they eat like kings Now you’re just being silly. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/12 "2008-07-09T04:11:00Z")
Am I? Do you not make a distinction between the quality of food you eat and the quality of your _entire life_? It’s possible that’s not what you meant, I guess, but I’m certainly not being silly. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/13 "2008-07-09T04:35:04Z")
[QUOTE=Hostile Dialect] Am I? Do you not make a distinction between the quality of food you eat and the quality of your _entire life_? It’s possible that’s not what you meant, I guess, but I’m certainly not being silly. [/QUOTE] [Moderating] This particular hijack is pretty silly, so let’s get back to the OP, please. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/14 "2008-07-09T17:19:09Z")
Here is an [article](http://www.slate.com/id/2075999/) about sniper John Lee Malvo’s insistence on eating a vegetarian diet while being held in the Fairfax County, Va. jail awaiting trial. ---
**Author:** ![ntcrawler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/34f0e0/32.png) [@ntcrawler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ntcrawler)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarians-in-prison/455289/15 "2008-07-12T23:40:01Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] I would like to claim band name rights of refusal to **Vegetarians in Prison**. I ain’t touching **Jews in Prison**. [/QUOTE] Are you the same guy who claimed the band name “Hitler’s Mustache” not too long ago? 😃