Most states in the United States that maintain the death penalty offer a special last meal to condemned prisoners, usually a few hours before the execution, although in some cases it may be even a day or two before.
In the United States, the death penalty is a form of legal punishment reserved for serious crimes such as first-degree murder, although its application and methods vary by state. Lethal injection is the most commonly used method. However, the legality and associated practices can differ significantly between states, and some have abolished the death penalty.
Prisoners sentenced to death in Florida, United States, have requested a variety of foods as their last meal before their execution, including lobster, ice cream, and tropical fruit. This practice, which allows the condemned to choose his last meal, is an ancient tradition that is still maintained in the United States and other places around the world.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC), requests for unviable food are not accepted, and if a food is not available, a similar food is offered. Additionally, food must be available for purchase near the prison and must not exceed a total budget of $40. In comparison, in Oklahomathe maximum budget is 15 dollars.
Prisoners’ food requests vary widely, from candy and coffee to lobster and beef steaks. Burgers and fries are a very common option among last meal requests in the United States.
Eric Wrinkles, executed in 2009 for a multiple murder, requested ribs, boiled potatoes, pork chops with French fries and two salads as his last meal. However, he was served three days before his execution, as the Indiana prison system has noted that death row inmates tend to lose their appetite as they approach their end.
In some cases, convicts order a large amount of food but then only consume a portion of it. This happened to Gary Carl Simmons in 2012, who ordered a pizza with double mushrooms, cucumber, jalapenos, garlic and sausage, plus 10 packages of Parmesan, 10 jars of ranch sauce, a large bag of Doritos, 2 strawberry milkshakes large, two strawberry-flavored colas, an extra-large package of McDonald’s fries with extra ketchup and mayonnaise, and two tubs of strawberry ice cream. However, he was only able to eat half of the requested food.
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In certain US states, death row inmates have the option of eating their last meal alone in their cells, while in others they are allowed another inmate to accompany them. In Louisiana, it is the death row warden who sits next to the individual who is about to be executed.
According to some American media, the tradition of the last meal in the country dates back to 1924 and it was in Texas prisons where it was initially implemented. However, in a curious twist, Texas eliminated the practice of offering meals on demand in 2011 after a prisoner, white supremacist Lawrence Russell Brewer, who was executed for the murder of a black man, requested a large amount of food and then refused to eat anything, arguing that he was not hungry.
Texas Senator John Whitmire justified the end of the special pre-execution meal by arguing: “Enough is enough. It is extremely inappropriate to give a person sentenced to death this privilege. “It is a privilege that the murderer did not grant to his victim.”
The debate on this topic continues, with some defending that the last meal is a sign of humanity towards the condemned, regardless of the damage they have caused, while others consider that this tradition only serves to humiliate and increase the suffering of someone who is about to be executed.
