"Last Meals" End in Texas Prisons

Death row inmates in Texas will no longer be able to scarf down double cheeseburgers, milkshakes, or whatever else their heart desires.

Brad Livingston, the executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, ended the state's last meal policy today, after outrage following Lawrence Russell Brewer's last meal.

His menu? "Two chicken-fried steaks, a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger, fried okra, a pound of barbecue, three fajitas, a meat lover's pizza, a pint of ice cream and a slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts." He didn't eat any of it.

His crime? Kidnapping a black man and chaining him by the ankles to the back of a pickup truck, dragging him for three and a half miles, killing him.

"It is extremely inappropriate to give a person sentenced to death such a privilege," Sen. John Whitmire wrote in a letter to Livingston. Some states limit the amount given; Florida's cap is $40. Texas just cancelled the policy.

This is particularly interesting, given the controversial execution of Troy Davis yesterday. Do you agree with the policy change?

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns. 

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