Florida DOC To Appeal Kosher Food Rulings

September 15, 2015

In the latest move in a long-running legal battle, the Florida Department of Corrections has given notice it will appeal rulings by a federal judge about providing kosher food to prisoners.

The department filed a notice that it will take the case to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. The notice did not provide details of the state’s arguments, but it cited orders issued in April and August by U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz. The August rulings, in part, granted federal officials’ request to monitor kosher meals, called the “Religious Dietary Program,” through visits to prisons.

Seitz also required the Department of Corrections to file monthly reports about the use of the program with the court and the U.S. Department of Justice and to file quarterly reports about prisoners who were suspended or removed from the program.

The appeal comes after more than a decade of fighting about prisons providing kosher meals to inmates who want to follow religious diets. That includes Jewish, Muslim and Seventh-Day Adventist prisoners.

The Justice Department filed the lawsuit in 2012, with Seitz ordering in April that the Department of Corrections provide the meals.

by The News Service of Florida

Pictured: The cafeteria inside the Century Correctional Institution. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

5 Responses to “Florida DOC To Appeal Kosher Food Rulings”

  1. RTC on September 17th, 2015 5:14 pm

    It’s amazing how much money goes into all this and Florida still can’t afford a raise for their COs…

  2. Bob C. on September 16th, 2015 10:00 am

    Perhaps before committing the crime these outstanding citizens should have considered the food and accommodations within the confines of a jail or prison.

    Put food out for them one and all and if they choose to not eat then so who cares?

    Next they’ll want free lawyers…..

  3. Mike on September 15th, 2015 2:53 pm

    What’s next, tents & camels!?! LOL! Most of these guys have no conception of the faith they are using to be a pain in butt, & outside those walls are just vicious criminal thugs that would kill for a few bucks.

    The liberals in the court system just love this stuff, anything for publicity. They keep this kind of thing stirred up to play with the emotions of conservatives. I’d say it was part of the misdirection scheme to keep minds off the Iran deal & all the money a certain faction will be raking in on that, but I don’t know, it’s been going alot longer than the US blessing Iran’s possession of the bomb.

    All the other inmates should form a faith that dictates they eat only steak, fried chicken, pizza, ice cream, tater chips, etc. LOL! :D

  4. BPD on September 15th, 2015 8:54 am

    Provide a slice of day old bread a slice of mystery meat and a cup of water. If they need a special diet they need to figure out how to obtain and pay for it their self. Let them work for credit at the kosher commissary.

  5. c.w. on September 15th, 2015 4:49 am

    These inmates are not there for a vacation. Let them eat bologna sandwiches. What needs to be done is, give the correction officers a decent wage. Their pay is well below the poverty level but the feds. and elected people don’t seem to care. How about it Evers?