A condemned prisoner's last meal is a customary ritual preceding execution. Various countries have various traditions in this regard. A "little glass of rum," but no formal last meal, was granted to the condemned in historical France in the minutes before execution; no meal was offered as the condemned learned of their impending execution only on the fatal morning, generally just minutes in advance.
In many countries, the prisoner may, within reason, select what the last meal will be.
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Contemporary restrictions
In the United States, most states give the meal a day or two before execution and use the euphemism "special meal". Alcohol or tobacco are usually denied. Unorthodox or unavailable requests are replaced with substitutes. Some states place tight restrictions. In Florida, the food for the last meal must be purchased locally and the cost is limited to $40. In Oklahoma, cost is limited to $15. In Louisiana, the prison warden traditionally joins the condemned prisoner for the last meal. On one occasion, the warden paid for an inmate's lobster dinner.
Sometimes, a prisoner shares the last meal with another inmate (as Francis Crowley did with John Resko) or has the meal distributed among other inmates (as requested by Raymond Fernandez).
In September 2011, the state of Texas abolished all special last-meal requests after condemned prisoner Lawrence Russell Brewer requested a huge last meal and did not eat any of it, saying he was not hungry. His last-meal request was for a plate of two chicken-fried steaks with gravy and sliced onions, a triple-patty bacon cheeseburger, a cheese omelet with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, a bowl of fried okra with ketchup, a pound of barbecued meat with half of a loaf of white bread, a portion of three fajitas, a meat-lover's pizza (topped with pepperoni, ham, beef, bacon, and sausage), a pint of Blue Bell ice cream, a slab of peanut-butter fudge with crushed peanuts, and a serving equivalent to three root beers. The abolition followed a complaint by a Texas Senator, John Whitmire (Democrat, of Houston), who called the meal "inappropriate". The tradition of customized last meals is thought to have been established around 1924 in Texas.
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Documented last meal requests
This represents the items reported requested but does not, in all cases, represent what the prisoner actually received.
Europe
Asia
Canada
- Arthur Lucas and Ronald Turpin: last to be executed in Canada; 1962 - hanging: steak, potatoes, vegetables and pie.
United States
See also
- Capital punishment
- Death row
- Final statement
- Last Supper
- Religion and capital punishment
References
Further reading
- Treadwell, Ty and Vernon, Michelle (2011) Last Suppers: Famous Final Meals from Death Row
- Van Dülmen, Richard (1990). Theatre of Horror : Crime and Punishment in Early Modern Germany. Cambridge. ISBN 0-7456-0616-4.
- Foucault, Michel (1977). Discipline & Punish : The Birth of the Prison. ISBN 0-679-75255-2.
- Von Hentig, Hans (1973). Punishment - Its Origin, Purpose, and Psychology. ISBN 0-87585-147-9.
- Osler, Mark (February 2009). "Ch. 7: Last Meal / Last Supper". Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment. Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press. pp. 63-67. ISBN 978-0-687-64756-9.
External links
- Greene, Bob (12 June 2001). They didn't get to choose their last meals. Jewish World Review. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
- Karon, Tony (10 August 2000). Why We're Fascinated by Death Row Cuisine. TIME Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
- Stein, Joel (18 October 2007). You Eat What You Are. TIME Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
- Famous Last Meals. Portraits of Last Requests. Retrieved on 2010-09-17.
- Final Meal Requests. Texas Department of Criminal Justice (12 September 2003). Archived from the original on 2003-12-02. Retrieved on 2011-03-17.
- Last Meals. rotten dot com. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
- Last Meals: What Would You Order? Seattle Weekly (18 June 2010). Retrieved on 2010-06-24.
- Last Meals on Death Row (since 2002). Dead Man Eating. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
- Top 10 Death Row Last Meal Requests from Texas. Zombie Popcorn (9 October 2008) Retrieved on 2010-09-29.
Source of article : Wikipedia
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