We received a letter from an inmate, who said a relative sent him our article, Do Prison Inmates Have a Right to Vegetarian Meals? See: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2001mar/2001_mar_prison.php

He has been a vegetarian for ten years. He was informed by a few corrections officers that the facility did not offer vegetarian meals. However, another inmate started receiving a “religious diet,” which included no meat. After he was also told that the facility did not offer vegetarian meals, he spoke to the judge that was presiding over his case and explained he was a Hindu and practiced vegetarianism.

He was told to fill out a “kite” (inmate request form) asking for a religious diet verification form. This form was then sent to the religious institution he identifies with, which filled out the form and returned it to the appropriate officer. This also worked for an incarcerated Buddhist. On the Religious Diet Verification Form, preprinted was Orthodox Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Seventh-day Adventist.