Kosher food will now be made available to Jewish convicts in Idaho jails, a federal judge ruled last week, following a settlement in a lawsuit brought on behalf of four Jewish inmates by the American Civil Liberties Union.
According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the inmates will now have access to sealed and certified kosher meals, the absence of which the ACLU asserted was a violation of the prisoners’ constitutional rights. Two of the plaintiffs were reported to have only eaten fruit and matzah over Passover due to the lack of a kosher option.
“The State, including its prison officials, cannot prefer one religion over any other, and this case reaffirms the basic constitutional principle of religious liberty,” said Leo Morales of the ACLU. "Jewish prisoners will now have access to nutritious meals that meet their religious needs in the same manner in which other prisoners would have based on their religious needs.”
While 35 states and the Federal government currently provide convicts with a kosher option, this was not the case as recently as 2000, the OK Kosher certification agency explained on its website.
"In 2000, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act was passed, giving Jewish inmates throughout the country the right to receive kosher food. But for religious advocates working in the prison systems leading up to and immediately following this motion, the fight for kosher food was a constant struggle,” the OK explained.
This April the state of Texas began providing kosher food to inmates after the end of a twelve year legal battle waged by inmate Max Moussazadeh.
According to the Star-Telegram, Texas had declined to accommodate Jewish religious requirements, citing the additional cost.
"The vast majority of states provide Jewish inmates with kosher meals, and studies show that allowing prisoners to practice their faith leads to better behavior in prison and fewer crimes after release,” the Becket law firm, which represented Moussazadeh, said in a statement.
“Protecting religious freedom in prison is not only smart, but also the right thing to do,” Luke Goodrich, deputy general counsel at Becket, said in April. “Allowing prisoners to practice their faith results in better behavior in prison and less crime after release—and it respects human dignity.”
