Comments on: State Not Backing Down In Fight Over Kosher Meals For Inmates

By: Sam Snow

Sam Snow — Mon, 26 May 2014 01:28:53 +0000

Remember “separation of church and state”? After conviction of a felony and “incarcerated as punishment “, the felons right to demand such accommodations are suspended. If such needs were such a priority, following the remainder of those beliefs should have been too. The end result would be THEY WOULD NOT BE IN PRISON. Perhaps this will serve as a future deterant to felonious activities. Other than that – this is a farce generated by inmates who are bored and looking to stir up trouble.

By: melodies4us

melodies4us — Sat, 24 May 2014 22:14:57 +0000

Our school lunches are not fit for any humans, therefore pushing for Kosher meals is a long shot.

By: No Excuses

No Excuses — Sat, 24 May 2014 19:51:27 +0000

@Haley,

You are correct – I do believe that there are innocent people in jail/Prison. However, 99.9% of them are guilty as charged, or at least guilty of something else that they may not have been charged for. That being said, yes they make mistakes. If they want to follow the dietary restrictions, then fine, but if it isn’t offered to them, then offer more vegetables and fruits. Many inmates who don’t have kosher meals available make due with those. Honestly, though, the kosher meals are probably cheaper than the fruits and veggies! I think we figured it at our prison as about $4.00 a meal per inmate. So, $12.00 a day to feed an inmate kosher meals. If they are observed eating things that are not on the dietary list (from the commissary or vending machines), then they are removed from the list and are not allowed to sign back up for a year. So, stick to it, or don’t sign up!

By: haley

haley — Fri, 23 May 2014 15:07:56 +0000

I think if this is part of someone’s reigion and they are a true believer in following the dictates of that religion then the Kosher meals should be provided. Like “old salt” states,though if they want these meals, then they should have to pay for them. Yeah, most of the ppl in prison have messed up somewhere. I don’t think prison should be a wonderful place to be, however, I don’t think the inmates should be starved either. NOt everyone in prison is guilty of the crime they have been convicted of committed.

By: Betty H

Betty H — Fri, 23 May 2014 10:37:30 +0000

If they believed in their religion so much why are they in jail??

By: john

john — Fri, 23 May 2014 01:57:20 +0000

What’s more sad, some religious people and non-religious, spend a lifetime trying to satisfiy their flesh and neglect their soul. And still wind up in hell.

By: paul alexander

paul alexander — Fri, 23 May 2014 01:20:10 +0000

its a PRISON,they get more than the average American is getting right now

By: BPD

BPD — Fri, 23 May 2014 00:53:28 +0000

kosher bread and water

By: Thom

Thom — Thu, 22 May 2014 23:25:53 +0000

Wow, this is not really a big issue if you really take the time to think about it. Just give the inmates a one time opportunity to sign up for the kosher meal during orientation when they get to the prison that they are at when they arrive. Then just serve the kosher meals either at the beginning of chow or at the end. Have a list of names that signed up for the kosher meals and check each inmate as he/she passes through the door to get into the chow hall. If there is an inmate that attempts to eat twice, then let that inmate deal with institutional consequences. Folks, it may take extra work on staff, but this solves all the crap that inmates always try to pull. It solves the legal issues and until the issue of kitchen cooking deal gets resolved, even the Justice Dept cannot say the State is not trying to comply. In the meantime, I WANT A RAISE! “signed, a Correctional Officer”.

By: No Excuses

No Excuses — Thu, 22 May 2014 20:37:08 +0000

First, I am in agreement with the concept of “Want to eat what you like/need? Then stay out of prison!” But, as I see it, the only way Kosher or “Certified Food Sincerity Meals” can be offered is to by the preprepared kosher meals. They are manufactured by a company that prepackages the meals, then they are heated or stored by the food services staff and served to inmates who are signed up for the meals. These meals are certified for several other religious groups, not just the Jewish or Muslim inmates. And, I can tell you – they ain’t all that appetizing – I’ve seen them. If I had to eat that stuff day in and day out, I’d opt out for the duration of my stay and eat some variety offered to the regular diners. I believe that’s where the DOJ is getting the idea that the number of inmates will drop, once they find out the food is not a gourmet meal.