Last meal


A condemned prisoner's last meal is a customary ritual that precedes execution.
In many countries, the prisoner may, within reason, select what the last meal will be.

Contemporary restrictions in the United States

In the United States, most states give the meal a day or two before execution and use the euphemism "special meal". Alcohol or tobacco are usually denied. Unorthodox or unavailable requests are replaced with substitutes. Some states place tight restrictions. In Florida, the food for the last meal must be purchased locally and the cost is limited to $40. In Oklahoma, cost is limited to $15. In Louisiana, the prison warden traditionally joins the condemned prisoner for the last meal. On one occasion, the warden paid for an inmate's lobster dinner.
Sometimes, a prisoner shares the last meal with another inmate or has the meal distributed among other inmates.
In September 2011, the state of Texas abolished all special last meal requests after condemned prisoner Lawrence Russell Brewer requested a huge last meal and did not eat any of it, saying he was not hungry. The meal consisted of two chicken-fried steaks with gravy and sliced onions; a triple-patty bacon cheeseburger with fixings on the side; a cheese omelet with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and jalapeños; a bowl of fried okra with ketchup; a pound of barbecued meat with half of a loaf of white bread; three fully loaded fajitas; a pizza topped with pepperoni, ham, beef, bacon, and sausage; a pint of Blue Bell ice cream; a slab of peanut-butter fudge topped with crushed peanuts; and three root beers. The abolition followed a complaint by a Texas Senator, John Whitmire, who called the meal "inappropriate". The tradition of customized last meals is thought to have been established around 1924 in Texas.

Documented last meal requests

This represents the items reported requested but does not, in all cases, represent what the prisoner actually received.

Europe

Asia

Canada

United States

Texas abolished last meal requests in 2011, so all death row inmates in Texas after 2011 were given normal prison food.