Nutraloaf

Nutraloaf

Nutraloaf, sometimes called prison loaf, disciplinary loaf, food loaf, confinement loaf, seg loaf, or special management meal,[1] is a food served in United States prisons to inmates who have demonstrated significant behavioral issues.[2] It is similar to meatloaf in texture, but has a wider variety of ingredients. Prisoners may be served nutraloaf if they have assaulted prison guards or fellow prisoners with sharpened utensils. Prison loaf is usually exceedingly bland in taste, perhaps even unpleasant, but prison wardens argue that nutraloaf provides enough nutrition to keep prisoners healthy without requiring utensils to be issued.[3]

Contents

Preparation

There are many different recipes which include a range of food, from vegetables, fruit, meat, and bread or other grains. Some versions may be vegetarian or vegan. The ingredients are blended and baked into a solid loaf form. In some institutions it has no fixed recipe but is simply the regular prison meal (including drink) blended together. In one common version, it is made from a mixture of wheat bread, non-dairy cheese, various vegetables, and mixed with vegetable oil, tomato paste, powdered milk and dehydrated potato flakes. Prisoners do not need utensils to eat it, and it is generally served on a piece of paper, rather than a tray.

Legal challenges

Although nutraloaf can be found in many United States prisons, its use is controversial. The standards of the American Correctional Association, which accredits prisons, discourage the use of food as a disciplinary measure, but adherence to the organization's food standards is voluntary.[4][5] Denying inmates food as punishment has been found to be unconstitutional by the courts,[6] but because the loaf is generally nutritionally complete, it is sometimes justified as a "dietary adjustment" rather than a denial of proper meals.[4]

Lawsuits have taken place in several states regarding nutraloaf, including Illinois,[7] Maryland, Nebraska, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, and West Virginia.[2] In March 2008, prisoners brought their case before the Vermont Supreme Court, arguing that, since Vermont state law does not allow food to be used as punishment, nutraloaf must be removed from the menu.[8] Vermont's version of nutraloaf has 966 kcal per serving. In April 2010, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County Arizona won a federal judgment for the constitutionality of nutraloaf.[9]

References

  1. ^ Florida Administrative Code Rule 33-602.223
  2. ^ a b Greenwood, Arin (2008-06-24). "Taste-Testing Nutraloaf: The prison food that just might be unconstitutionally bad.". Slate. http://www.slate.com/id/2193538/. 
  3. ^ "Food for Thought: Is Nutraloaf Punishment?". WCAX-TV News. http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8061875&nav=menu183_2. Retrieved 2008-03-26. 
  4. ^ a b "What's Worse Than Solitary Confinement? Just Taste This". New York Times. 2002-08-04. http://www.fedcrimlaw.com/visitors/PrisonLore/TheLoaf.html. Retrieved 2008-03-24. 
  5. ^ Gay, Malcolm (2008-03-19). "Cruel and unusual punishment: Malcolm sentences himself to Prison Loaf". Riverfront Times. http://restaurants.riverfronttimes.com/2008-03-19/dining/keep-it-down. Retrieved 2008-03-24. 
  6. ^ "Prisoner Diet Legal Issues". AELE (Americans for Effective Law Enforcement) Law Journal. 2007-07. http://www.aele.org/law/2007JBJUL/2007-07MLJ301.pdf. 
  7. ^ Arnett v. Snyder, 331 Ill. App. 3d 518 (2001)
  8. ^ "Vermont inmates call food foul, sue over it". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23761712. Retrieved 2008-03-26. 
  9. ^ "Arpaio Wins Summary Judgment in Federal Court". MCSO. http://www.mcso.org/include/pr_pdf/Elizabeth%20Johnson%20%20News%20Release.pdf. Retrieved 2010-04-13. [dead link]

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