What Are the Restrictions for Last Meal Requests of Death Row Inmates?

Published March 21, 2023

Most people are familiar with death row inmates having the liberty to request their death row last meals. However, only a few are aware that there are a couple of restrictions to last meal requests.

Read on to learn more about these restrictions and how they affect an inmate’s options.

Restrictions for Death Row Last Meals

The restrictions generally vary according to the prison, but the most common ones include the following:

Availability

One of the more obvious restrictions to the last meals of death row inmates is that it must be realistic to procure the food within a few days. That’s because the inmate is typically asked to state their request one to two days before their execution. If the food cannot be obtained within that time, the officials will deny it.

That means they will almost always disallow exotic foods. That’s also why although meals from food chains like McDonald’s or Pizza Hut are typically allowed, they must come from the menu of the local branch.

For example, if the death row inmate is in a Florida state prison, they most likely cannot ask for Curry Cheddar Pizza since it’s usually only on the menu of Pizza Hut in China. However, some prisons strictly limit the request for death row last meals to food available within the prison system.

In that case, they would deny even fast food items.

On the flip side, the inmate can request a meal with ingredients available to the prison, even if the meal isn’t part of the prison menu otherwise. For instance, the death row inmate may request French fries even if the prison system doesn’t normally serve that item, as long as they have potatoes.

Banned Ingredients

Last meal requests must also not include ingredients that aren’t appropriate. These include alcohol and a variety of non-food items. So, a death row inmate cannot request alcohol to go with their last meal.

Similarly, they cannot request a meal that contains dirt or an inedible object. Interestingly enough, there has been a request for a lump of dirt, but the prison system denied it and instead gave him yogurt.

Monetary Limits

The prison system may also enforce a dollar limit to the last meals of death row inmates. The most common limit is $40. Last meal requests must not require $40 to procure and cook, or they’ll be denied.

Other Restrictions

Aside from these, there are other restrictions that may catch you off guard. For example, it’s a common rule for last meal requests that inmates cannot receive a meal that is home-cooked by their friend or family, as fitting as it may be. The meal must also not contain ingredients that the inmate is allergic to.

No Last Meals at All

Prisons have the liberty to disallow last meals altogether, so it wouldn’t be a surprise for death row inmates not to have that privilege at all. Prison systems do this to prevent the abuse of this privilege.

The prison system in Texas, for example, had disallowed last meals altogether when a death row inmate requested a ton of food, only to end up being wasted as he didn’t take even one bite.

What Happens to Last Meal Requests When It’s Denied?

If last meal requests violate any of these restrictions, the inmate would instead receive an alternative meal that doesn’t violate the restrictions. The alternative meal is typically not far from the requested meal.