Dec10
Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Prisons!
Posted at 01:10 PM | Permalink
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Comments (43)
When we announced our top 10 vegetarian-friendly ballparks, part of the idea was to encourage more people to check out a game or two at those stadiums and sample their vegetarian fare. Same sort of deal with our top 10 colleges—one effect of publicizing their veg-friendly cafeterias was that more people would want to go there. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if this latest top 10 list gets you all amped about the prospect of going to one of these prisons, you may want to set some slightly more ambitious goals for yourself … but for the people who—through bad luck or poor planning—are on their way there, this will come as some very good news.
We get calls all the time from inmates who want to make a positive change in their lives by going vegetarian, and in the course of responding to these individuals, we’ve assembled the following list of the top 10 vegetarian-friendly prisons in the United States as a tidbit for curious citizens, a resource for prisoners’ rights groups, and, well, a menu for future inmates. Whichever category you fall into, I hope you enjoy it.
Click here to read Newsweek’s coverage of the story, and check out the top 10 below:
- Idaho offers a lentil shepherd’s pie, vegan pizza, vegan Mexican pie, soy patties, soy sausage, veggie loaf, veggie lasagna, veggie meatballs, vegan hot cakes, vegan biscuits, cookies, cakes, pies, and puddings.
- Massachusetts offers meatless chicken macaroni casserole, vegetable bologna, veggie burger, veggie meatballs, meatless chicken cutlet, meatless chicken nuggets, vegetable chop suey, vegetarian chicken stew.
- Pennsylvania offers tofu cacciatore, soy BBQ, tofu stir fry, veggie burger, soy Salisbury steak, soy meatballs, tofu scramble, soy croquette, soy sausage patties, soy loaf, soy pasta casserole, soy stuffed cabbage and soy stew.
- Georgia offers vegan BBQ, meatless deli slices, veggie patty, vegan breakfast patties, vegan chili, baked macaroni crumble, stir fried vegetables and oriental sauce, tofu scramble, vegan cornbread, vegan cookies, vegan cakes, vegan pies, vegan brownies, vegan muffins, vegan peach cobbler.
- New Hampshire offers chili with texturized vegetable protein, chop suey with texturized vegetable protein, shepherd’s pie with texturized vegetable protein, veggie links, lentil meatballs, grilled tofu sandwich, vegetarian pot pie, veg stir fry, hummus, veg tacos, veg chow mein, veg stew, and several veg soups.
- Utah offers sweet and sour tofu, tofu taco rice casserole, vegetable and tofu chow mein, veggie burgers, veggie dogs, veggie meatballs, tofu ala king, lots of tofu dishes.
- Hawaii offers vegetarian shepherd’s pie with texturized vegetable protein, vegetarian stuffed cabbage with texturized vegetable protein, vegetarian stew with texturized vegetable protein, grilled tofu slices, vegetarian teriyaki burger, vegetarian long rice with tofu.
- Tennessee offers texturized vegetable protein ala king, vegetarian sweet and sour, veggie burger, veg chili, veg stir fry, texturized vegetable protein country gravy.
- Kansas offers a veggie burger, taco crunch, burrito, meatless pasta, meatless chili, loaded baked potato, vegetable rice soup.
- North Dakota offers a veggie burger, meatless sloppy joes, veg fajitas, veg noodle stew, veg potato soup.
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Comments
Hahaha! This is awesome!
I added this to digg: http://digg.com/politics/Top_10_Vegetarian_Friendly_Prisons
Posted by: dw | December 10, 2007 01:38 PM
I had to smile when I saw this.
Pretty timely in my opinion...maybe Michael Vick can go veggie now, huh?
:)
Posted by: Tamara | December 10, 2007 01:41 PM
Wow!!! I would have never ever ever guessed that!! I have a friend on death row in California and I have always wondered about prison food but never asked.
Posted by: Michele | December 10, 2007 02:00 PM
This is very good news!
Posted by: Holly | December 10, 2007 02:52 PM
This is GREAT!! Shouldn't all prisons be "meat free"! Just think of all the healthy people coming out of there when their time is up. This could be part of their rehabilitation! And to the ones who think they need meat in all their meals they eat, well, this can kind of be a not soo good thing for them at first. You either eat it or starv to death!
Posted by: Carla | December 10, 2007 03:14 PM
Wonder if its any good and tastes like u guys say so.
Posted by: Caboose | December 10, 2007 03:46 PM
"we’ve assembled the following list of the top 10 vegetarian-friendly prisons in the United States as a tidbit for curious citizens, a resource for prisoners’ rights groups, and, well, a menu for future inmates."
hahaha!
On a serious note, I'm surprised by Utah. I thought California would be in there somewhere.
Posted by: Elaine Vigneault | December 10, 2007 04:06 PM
California isn't measuring up?? Damn!
Posted by: Bill | December 10, 2007 04:58 PM
This is a wonderful idea! What better way to promote non-violent, civilized lifestyles among criminals than by offering them meals for which nothing was killed?
Posted by: Kat | December 10, 2007 06:58 PM
It is amazing the things you can learn by wasting time on the computer. Who knew??
Posted by: Kelley | December 10, 2007 07:48 PM
Before I had a friend in prison and he told me "they don't give us to much meat, but when I get out, I'm going to eat a cow" it's so good news! they are really changing! I wish for the day when everybody go veg.
Posted by: liliana | December 10, 2007 08:08 PM
it always bring a hypocritical smile to my face when hearing about veg-friendly stadiums when there is so many animal products being used by the players in these stadiums..... by peta rights.... there shouldn't be a single living vegan any where near these stadiums but of course... what fun would that be,,,,,,
Posted by: steve | December 10, 2007 08:40 PM
"We get calls all the time from inmates who want to make a positive change in their lives by going vegetarian" Geez, there is hope for the planet. This took me by surprise.
But I got ticked off at the idiotic quote in the article "The general population isn't privy to nutritious, affordable food, while incarcerated persons are?" asks Janet Fine, director of the Office of Victim Assistance in Massachusetts"
That is NOT TRUE. Healthy choices are readily available to everyone in this country, and are very affordable.
But most people choose to eat the same old, more expensive junk.
Posted by: kelly | December 10, 2007 09:36 PM
Ms. Fine should instead connect to the reality that while prisoners are eating better, our SCHOOLS are still stuffing kids with unhealthy meat and dairy products thanks to pressure from big-money lobbies that get rich off the taxpayer.
Posted by: kelly | December 10, 2007 09:40 PM
There are also good and decent folks doing time because of the BUSH CRIME FAMILY put them there.
The Bush Crime family calls them the eco-terrorists, to me they stand for beautiful and love for the Animals and earth.
The real terrorists are the Bush and Cheney crime families.
There are many people who whould love to receive letters, books, vegan goodies
etc. I would love to give that site but I will wait until Jack says it's ok.
Judith
Posted by: Judith, Freedom Fighter for Animals | December 11, 2007 12:20 AM
Hopefully he'll do half or maybe even a quarter of the time he was sentenced to with good behavior & probation.. this is ridiculous. If you guys are really worried about animal rights you should look into the way many asian countries treat their dogs, cats and live stock in general. I'm an animal lover myself but I don't see why so much attention is given by supporters of this organization to this case when there are far greater offenses happening else where. Where's the common sense and you're shame in trying to destroy a mans career and kick dirt in his face for a crime he's already being punished for ~
Posted by: fyahu | December 11, 2007 02:14 AM
I would have guessed that California, New York, or Washington State would have made the list but instead Utah, Idaho, and Georgia made the list. Good for them. I don't know why prisons and jails tend to serve such unhealthy food. Food plays a key role in brain chemistry which affects attitudes and behavior. Anyone ever see the movie "Supersize Me" about McDonalds. They discussed one study where a Jr. High for kids with behavior radically changed their menue to be more healthy at lunch time and the behavior problems were dramatically lowered. One thing they did was remove beef from the menu. Besides alcohol and drugs, foods high in caffeine, sugar, fats, etc negative affect people's behavior.
Posted by: Jay | December 11, 2007 04:29 AM
Wow, my home state of Kansas is actually on a vegetarian top 10 list? Too bad it is for veg-friendly prisons.
Posted by: Marleah | December 11, 2007 08:44 AM
i second that lack of food in kansas -- this place is corn and beef fed, not the greatest place for vegans, even the stores dont have vegan options
Posted by: stasya | December 11, 2007 11:49 AM
Good place to start teaching compassion.
Posted by: Andrew | December 11, 2007 05:38 PM
I didn't like what Vick did but what about a black bear? Boycott ESPN, CNN, YAHOO and every other media outlet that glorified this story!!
5-year-old descendant of Davy Crockett kills bear
Tre Merrit bags 445-pound black bear while hunting with grandfather
By Heather Crawford
Courtesy of KATV/Little Rock
(Archive)
Updated: December 11, 2007, 5:43 PM ET
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5-year-old kills 445-pound bear. Courtesy of KATV Little RockDEWITT, Ark. — A 5-year-old Arkansas County boy killed a black bear Sunday weighing more than 400 pounds.
Tre Merritt, a descendant of Davy Crockett, was hunting with his grandfather Mike Merritt when a black bear happened upon their stand.
"His 10th great-grandfather was Davy Crockett," Mike Merritt said. "And Davy supposedly killed him a bear when he was three. And Tre is five and really killed a bear. I really doubt if Davy killed one when he was three."
Mike Merritt was in the stand at the time but said Tre did it all by himself.
"He came in about 40 to 50 yards," Mike Merritt said of the black bear, "and when he got in the open, I whistled at him and he stopped and I said, 'Shoot Tre.'"
Tre confirmed his grandfather's account.
"I was up in the stand and I seen the bear," Tre Merritt said. "It came from the thicket and it was beside the road and I shot it."
At first, Mike Merritt didn't think Tre had hit the bear with his youth rifle.
"I said, 'Tre, you missed the bear,' " Mike Merritt said. "He said, 'Paw-paw I squeezed the trigger and I didn't close my eyes. I killed him."'
The bear turned out to be 445 pounds — 12 times the weight of Tre. Mike Merritt said tears rolled down his cheeks when he found out his grandson killed the enormous bear.
Tre Merritt's father, Wheatley, said he began teaching his son to shoot when he was just 2 ½ years old, and said Tre killed three deer last year.
Wheatley Merritt said the family plans to get a life-sized mount of the bear, but where they will put has yet to be determined.
DeWitt is in rural eastern Arkansas, close to the Mississippi River bottoms and near Stuttgart, the Duck Hunting Capitol of the World.
Frontier hero
Davy Crockett was a celebrated 19th-century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician; usually referred to as "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives, served in the Texas Revolution, and died at the age of 49 at the Battle of the Alamo.
Crockett passed through Arkansas on his way from Tennessee to Texas in 1835. While at a Little Rock (Pulaski County) banquet given in his honor, he reportedly stated, "If I could rest anywhere it would be in Arkansas, where the men are of the real half-horse, half-alligator breed such as grow nowhere else on the face of the universal earth but just around the backbone of North America."
Robert Crockett, one of Davy Crockett's grandsons, became the first mayor of Stuttgart (Arkansas County) after the town incorporated in 1889. The village of Crockett's Bluff (Arkansas County) was named in honor of Robert Crockett.
Posted by: Eric Miree | December 11, 2007 09:43 PM
Yay! Thank you Kansas!
Posted by: Hilary | December 12, 2007 12:49 AM
You have to be joking. If we work so hard to care for animals well-being the thought of the prison system in this country should be abhorrent and not tolerated, certainly not the matter of a light fluff piece on the top 10 vegetarian "friendly" prisons. If we work for the rights of the lives on non-human beings how can we not do the same for human beings. Freedom from incarceration, pain, violence, poverty and suffering should be for all. I'm disappointed in this callous stance. You could have taken the time to write a strong article on the issues of the Prison Industry and how we should be working to help our fellow human beings who suffer inside and out. Please read Angela Davis' book Are Prisons Obsolete and think long and hard about freedom for all.
Posted by: Love | December 12, 2007 03:14 PM
Please Read every thing before deleting it thank you.
Hello i am only 15 and i want to say something to PETA.
I think what you try to do is good which is helping animals, but animals are here to serve humans. They are here for us to eat, but of course not all animals are for eating.
Also do you think that its smart to put the friendlist prisons for vegians is. That tells every one that your going to be arrest for supporting us, thats a little stupid.
Also how does it help animals to go into stores and paint the fur coats, the animal is most likly dead. hello. Also it doesn't help because you didn't stop the animals from dieing anyways. smartones. THe animals they use for coats usually are already dead.
So if you want to talk to me go right ahead but i will win ever fight.
Posted by: A kid | December 12, 2007 08:16 PM
"A kid": tell us exactly who gets to decide which animals are okay to eat? Some cultures think it's okay to eat horses, dogs, or cats - is that okay for you?
Also, PETA does not put paint on fur coats - that is an urban myth.
If you want to show how smart you really are, read "Animal Liberation" by Peter Singer.
Posted by: Michele | December 12, 2007 10:38 PM
Judith
Ditto. I want to pull a "Dick Cheyney" on them
Posted by: Caboose | December 13, 2007 12:04 AM
The only sensible reason for not eating meat is that it is not very eco-friendly. I recommend changing your diet from red meat to white meat and fish. The Carbon equivalent emissions is considerably lower for white meat and fish. The best thing is (as always) bring your gun and kill your own meat. Very eco friendly :-))
Posted by: Nadreas | December 13, 2007 04:23 AM
Nadreas
Dont forget power plants.
As long as the bullet isnt lead.
Posted by: Caboose | December 13, 2007 12:52 PM
Love
So what do you propose society do with the convicted rapists, murderers, pedophiles et al??? Prisons are for those that have committed crimes and been found guilty in a court of law.
Judith
Yes, I agree!!!! :)
Posted by: Ana | December 13, 2007 04:12 PM
Nadreas,
Better get your fish while you can, and don't worry about buying thermometers anymore.
Posted by: Mike Quinoa | December 13, 2007 08:44 PM
"Ms. Fine should instead connect to the reality that while prisoners are eating better, our SCHOOLS are still stuffing kids with unhealthy meat and dairy products thanks to pressure from big-money lobbies that get rich off the taxpayer."
THANK YOU!!! I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT THINKS SCHOOL FOOD SHOULD BE VEGAN!
Posted by: John | December 13, 2007 09:46 PM
it shouldnt be an 'either' 'or' issue whe it come s to help the 'voiceless' and dog fighting is no less brutal than a factory farmed animal or a neglected pet.. I do have to agree with the girl who mentioned asia because I have been living here for 6 years now..and the one thing that people would not believe is that absolute ignorance towards animal welfare...and seeing a neglected or abandoned animal is the worse because their is literally nowhere to take these animals. there is one shelter in all of Korea..but its not eevn in Korea's largest city.. I am surprised at very little if any work by animal groups to focus on Korea. ..
Posted by: tara | December 14, 2007 12:41 AM
lucky criminals, eat better than me. I'm going to prison, thats where the fun is. lol
Posted by: me :) | December 14, 2007 07:45 PM
John
School food shouldn't be 100% VEGAN, they should have balanced CHOICES.
Posted by: Caboose | December 14, 2007 09:59 PM
man they eat better then i do vegan food cost alot!they do crime and they eat better then we law abiding folkd do i hope the gov can help poor folks get vegan food.this is just not fair
Posted by: janice | December 14, 2007 11:31 PM
Compare it to MREs, its always that in EVERY Institution.
Posted by: Caboose | December 15, 2007 10:40 AM
janice
H |_| h? D00 j00 /\/33d 4 +r4/\/514+0r?!
Posted by: Caboose | December 16, 2007 11:17 PM
Why not New Jersey in the list ! It repealed Death sentence now it is time to stop killing animals to feed inmates. Providing them Vegan/Veggie food only so that they remain non violent. I wonder how many Vegans/Veggie soldiers are fighting war ! It should be difficult for Vegetarians to fight war without consuming meat? No meat No war and peace only in the world! Any suggestions/ideas to develop on this theme ?
Posted by: Andy | December 18, 2007 05:25 PM
through bad luck or poor planning? are you suggesting we commit a serious crime? just wondering. why isnt california on this list? haha just kidding.
Posted by: Mary | December 27, 2007 11:16 PM
I was just wondering if anyone knows if all of these states actually allow the veggie options to anyone in prison. The reason I ask is because I recently took a tour of a jail in Sherburne County, MN and asked about veggie options. I was told they were available, but only for medical reasons. Which i figured being healthier in general would be a medical reason, but it's not. Inmates actually need to have a medical reason that they aren't allowed to eat me.
Posted by: cookie | December 28, 2007 01:38 PM
In my opinion, prisons should not cater to prisoners wants. They are in there for punishment, not for a free ride. Kinda like sending your kid to their room but then giving them candy. If they dont like what is given to them in prison, then maybe they should have thought about that before they stole, killed, or raped. Going vegan or vegetarian does not change what they have done. It doesnt bring back the people they killed, it doesnt take away the pain from the people they raped, it doesnt give back what they stole. It is merely a way for them to say "Oh look at me, Im going vegan/vegetarian, Im a better person now, let me out early so I can commit a crime again". Prisoners dont deserve a choice of food.
Posted by: Firesbane | December 30, 2007 11:51 AM
In response to Firesbane: "Prisoners dont deserve a choice of food." What about the animals? Don't they deserve freedom from being tortured and killed for food? The nobel purpose of eg*n is for the benefit of animals, not to punish people.
Firesbane: "I'm a better person now. . ." Not all prisoners are recent converts to veg*n. I was in jail many times (and probably will be again) and yet have been veg*n for over 40 years. I had to occassionally eat meat and dairy every time I was in jail, in order to sustain my health. I requested vegetarian meals to no avail. I sued the State and court system afterwards, to no avail.
"prisons should not cater to prisoners wants. They are in there for punishment"
The problem with that is punishment is irreversable. Once it's done it can't be taken back if the prisoner is later exonerated. In addition, punishment doesn't instill corrective behavior, it breeds hatred and retaliation against society.
Many in jail and prison are innocent. That is a proven fact. More than 100 people have been released from death sentences in recent years because of scientific advances in reading DNA. The law libraries are rife with thousands of cases where people were wrongly convicted and imprisoned for years. I myself, was jailed for months in California and Florida for fleeing with my child from abuse. I was captured and my 3 year old child put back in the hands of his abuser while I faced a 5 years prison sentence. A few years later the abusive mother put my child in the hospital with a bleeding and bruised face, and a fractured leg. I now have custody and she has supervised visitation. I was innocent but the court didn't believe me. I was tortured in jail (according to International standards re torture) and denied a vegetarian diet. America has more people in prison than any other nation—including more innocent in jail. AmeriKa is free, primarily only for those who can $$$ aford it. Certainly not a very free country for animals either.
Posted by: Mel Ellington | January 5, 2008 12:58 PM
Love...you've got to be kidding...right? I hope to god you, your loved ones, or anyone you care about for that matter never gets raped, murdered, or becomes a victim of one of these prisoners you want to set free. On that note...I do think we have gotten off the point. Everyone should have a choice as to what they put in their body. Period.
Posted by: Shelly | January 7, 2008 02:17 PM