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Soy you think you can sue?

An American inmate is suing the Florida prison system for subjecting him to "cruel and unusual punishment".Why is this a laughing matter, you ask? Let's just make it clear that this guy is not…

user iconLawyers Weekly 11 November 2011 SME Law
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An American inmate is suing the Florida prison system for subjecting him to "cruel and unusual punishment".

Why is this a laughing matter, you ask?

Let's just make it clear that this guy is not in Guantanamo, and the reason for which he is suing is the lack of pork he gets a dinner time. And this, apparently, is enough to be in breach of the Eight Amendment of the United States Constitution.

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Folklaw has reported on the contentious nature of pork in prisons before, but this time, the scenario is even more ludicrous.

CBS Tampa reports that Eric Harris, a 32-year-old pedophile serving a life sentence, is arguing that the Lake Correctional Institution's decision to serve meat-reduced meals is significantly affecting his quality of his life.

To Harris's aid has come the Weston A. Price Foundation, a special interest group with an apparent jihad against soy products (only in America). The group has vowed to cover legal costs and plans to launch a class action with other prisoners, prison guards and ordinary meat-loving taxpayers.

Apparently, the foundation began hearing complaints from Florida prisoners back in 2009 when cooks began replacing 70 per cent of meat with soy substitutes.

As a result, the prisoners claim to be suffering a whole range of health problems, including chronic constipation (eased only by debilitating diarrhea), vomiting, fainting, heart palpitations and mysterious rashes.

According to Harris, this constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

A spokesperson from the Department of Corrections clarified that meals are half soy, half poultry, and that serving 100 per cent meat would double the $47 million food budget.

American courts have previously held that prisons must serve nutritious meals to inmates, but this does not mean they have to adhere to a prisoner's idea of home cooking.

The spokesperson said their meals do indeed meet standards and comply with federal nutrition guidelines.

Folklaw wonders whether adherents to some of Paddington's, Fremantle's or St Kilda's trendiest cafes will also soon begin to suffer such debilitating, cruel and unusual side effects ...

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