Inmate Who Killed Parents Can Sue For Kosher Meals- Per Appeals Court

Although Bruce Rich had no feelings of compunction when he murdered his parents- Irving and Blanche- in 1995 so he could collect the insurance money, Bruce (an Orthodox Jew) is so religious he is suing to get his Kosher meals at Florida's Union Correctional Institution. Actually, he won an appeal.

Rich, who was sentenced in 1999 and will spend the rest of his life in jail, sued Florida's Department of Correction back in 2010. He believes denying him Kosher food is violating his rights as per the the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. Ironic, since he violated his parents right to life by murdering them and staging it as a murder suicide.  It always amazes me that these prisoners who profess to be so religious obviously had no problem committing  heinous crimes.

Prison systems have been battling these lawsuits from vegetarians, Muslims and Jews for a long while. In some cases special meals were provided, but then dispensed with. The Florida prison system claims it's just too costly, and a security risk to boot:

... because it could lead to retaliation against inmates getting kosher meals if other inmates believed the kosher food was of higher quality.

However, the appeals court couldn't care less because cold-blooded murderers need to have their special dietary restrictions catered to.

Rich appealed that ruling to the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, which on Tuesday overruled the summary judgment and sent the case back to the district court for further proceedings.

A three judge panel of the appeals court said that the state hadn't shown it had either a compelling interest in denying Rich and other prisoners the diet, or that denying the diet was the least restrictive means of serving whatever that compelling interest might be.

"While safety and cost can be compelling governmental interests, the defendants have not carried their burden to show that Florida?s policy in fact furthered these two interests," U.S. Circuit Judge Beverly B. Martin wrote in the panel's opinion.

Oddly enough, Union Correctional Institution did re-institute the kosher meal plan at the facility last month. The appeals court believes this was done to "manipulate" the case.

"There is nothing to suggest that Florida will not simply end the new kosher meal program at some point in the future, just as it did in 2007."

And it's not just prison inmates suing, the Feds are getting into the action too.

What a colossal waste of taxpayer money.

The Feds Sue The Florida Prison System For Not Serving Kosher Meals

Back in 2007, the Florida Department of Corrections decided that it needed to tighten
its belt and stopped serving special meals to its Jewish and Muslim population. That's right, no kosher or halal meals for the inmates. Prior to that decision both Muslims and Jews ate kosher meals. But those meals cost more than double the amount that regular prisoner food costs, so it made sense to stop providing them that option. However, the FDC must have buckled at some point in time after that initial decision, because one correctional facility in South Florida has been offering kosher meals since 2010 to about 12 or so who qualified for a pilot program:

Only prisoners who are at least 59 years old or eligible for assignment to a work squad and have religious reasons for keeping kosher are eligible for the program.

And even though the inmates have  plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, which would preclude the need for kosher meals, they are still complaining and now the federal government has stepped in. Yes, the feds have actually sued the FDC for not making kosher meals available to all inmates. Apparently, the feds believe that this "forces hundreds of its prisoners to violate their core religious beliefs on a daily basis." Excuse me, but if they were that religious- and that goes for anyone who follows a strict "religious" diet- how did they wind up in the slammer to begin with? Surely someone who is that religious would have the moral rectitude to stay out of trouble.

According to FDC spokesman Jo Ellyn Rackleff Kosher meals cost around $4.70 a day as opposed to $1.54 a day.

The vegetarians lucked out with all their food options, but that's because soy products are cheaper than meat. However, one pedophile inmate- Eric Harris- at Lake correctional facility in Florida sued the Florida prison system last year because he felt that being forced to consume soy by-products in up to 70% of his meals was "cruel and unusual" punishment. I guess he should have thought about that before he started molesting young kids.

Criminals of any religious persuasion do not deserve any special treatment. If you want to be able to follow your religious and dietary laws then stay out of prison.

Don't the feds have anything better to do?!