Common Fare

This prison has a special diet tray available to inmates who are religiously “qualified”. More on the qualifications later. The tray is prepared with kosher (and proper Islamic) dietary requirements. Every tray features fresh fruit and vegetables. There is no processed meat. It is an extremely healthy, vitamin rich, daily food service. And, much to the Commonwealth’s consternation, expensive to provide.



The United State Constitution (1st Amendment) and federal law (“The Religious Lands Use and Incarcerated Persons Act”) specifically requires states to provide for inmates’ “religiously motivated dietary needs” unless a penological concern (i.e. breach of security) is shown.


For years, Virginia provided these special trays at almost all their prisons. However, with the rapid growth of inmates since parole was abolished, the number of “religiously motivated” inmates is going through the roof. To make it more difficult for inmates to get the “common fare” tray, Virginia reduced the number of prisons that offer it to about a half dozen. Then, they instituted an arbitrary (and as I’m actually arguing) and illegal process for inmates to be approved for healthy food.


Why would Virginia not want to provide healthy meals to its inmates? Cost. Virginia can feed inmates for a few dollars a day. The food is bland – cabbage at least once a day; 2 or 3 starches every meal; low grade meat; little in the way of fresh fruit and vegetables.


Is it cost effective? Probably not. Medical costs per inmate are through the roof. Of the approximately 1200 inmates here, roughly 200 are diabetic; another couple hundred have high blood pressure. We’re talking guys in their 20’s with high blood pressure! I’m 51 with a normal range BMI (22), perfect blood pressure (120/74) and no diabetes.


Now, I can eat anything. There is absolutely no meal I will pass on. There’s a famous story from my married days. We had just gotten married. My wife, while I was out on a long run one day, decided to make us supper - tuna casserole. I came back, cleaned up, and we began to eat. She looked puzzled as she ate. I, on the other hand shoveled it in. She looked over at the counter and realized she had left the tuna out!


“Why didn’t you tell me?” she burst into tears.


“But, honey, it’s delicious!” I replied.


“You don’t count. You’ll eat anything!”


And so it went. I’d try anything. No food was “beneath me”.


Prison food is supposed to be lousy and truth is, guys in here complain way too much. Want to eat better meals? Don’t get locked up! Plus, there are people world wide who wish they have the food we inmates get (I started saying “grace” at every meal while in jail when a young Guatemalan man told me his entire family of six in his home country ate less than he received on his three jail trays each day).


Back to “Common Fare”. I read my Bible, pray and meditate almost an hour each and every morning. The C.O.’s talk to me about my “discipline” (it’s actually my favorite time of the day). I decided – during my study – that I need to be more conscious of what I eat. I avoid meat and processed food (I eat “bean trays” every day).


The prison has a policy that in order to “qualify” as a religiously observant diet participant, you must attend “approved religious services” for six months. The prison then gives you the list of “approved services”. These include:


• Non –denominational Evangelical Protestant


• Roman Catholic


• Messianic Jew or Orthodox Jew


• Sunni Muslim


• Shia Muslim


• Nation of Islam


• Moorish Society


• Rastafarians


• Jehovah Witness


• Native American “Mother Earth” worship


I filed a grievance objecting to being forced into a service that doesn’t represent my faith. I’m going to rely on case law from federal courts around the country. Here’s the test an inmate must meet to be religiously eligible:


1) A deeply held religious belief;


2) that allows participants to keep a special diet;


3) that doesn’t pose a penological concern for the prison. The prison (the courts have ruled) can’t establish that concern if they already provide the diet tray.


More importantly, under the 1st Amendment, the prison can’t compel inmates to participate in their church services.


The other problem here is the chaplain. He is a rude, maniacal, egotistical ass. He runs the religion programs “his way”. He technically isn’t employed by the prison. Chaplains are provided to prisons in Virginia by a non-profit organization that funds the offices through inmate funds (abut $750,000 worth) and donations from churches.


The “good chaplain” puts down Muslims, Jews, and Catholics. He is trying to prohibit my friend’s church from doing a “Celtic Vesper service” (“we don’t do that there”). He refused a Koran to me – “you ain’t got no need for that; you ain’t Muslim.” A great Christian leader!


I’ll push the issue, not just for me, but for the guys in here who carry on their faith in quiet. They don’t need to beat their chest in front of 200 guys about God. They just say their prayers, read their Holy Scriptures, and act decently to the staff and the other inmates.


Plus, doing the right thing has its own reward: fresh broccoli, cauliflower, tuna, and cottage cheese.