Inmate Class Action Lawsuit Over Quality of Food is Near

According to the Associated Press, the Vermont Supreme Court is set to hear a case on whether Nutraloaf - a delightful culinary treat composed of "cubed whole wheat bread, non-dairy cheese, raw carrots, spinach, seedless raisins, beans, vegetable oil, tomato paste, powdered milk and dehydrated potato flakes," - is a punishment that should only be administered after a formal process, or if it's just food that can be given to misbehaving inmates.

According to the Vermont Corrections Commissioner, Nutraloaf is an effective way to prevent inmates from throwing their trays, utensils and food (both before and after digestion!). The whole crux of the argument is that if it is a punishment, there should be a formal process to ensure the punishment is administered fairly and consistently, and whether this is an inhumane punishment at all. After all, if Nutraloaf is so rancid that the inmate can't eat it, it can't deliver the nutritional benefit and the inmate is essentially malnourished.

This is yet another example of how the legal system is being clogged with useless litigation. We're not talking about cruel and unusual punishment here-the prison is simply telling the inmate if they can't eat their taxpayer-supplied 3-a-day, 3-course meal in between the exercise yard and the cable television without slinging it at other inmates, or behaving like the monkeys at the zoo, flinging feces at one another, they'll be served something a little less appetizing. Heck, don't we essentially do the same thing to our children? If they abuse a privilege, it can be taken away from them. Make no mistake about it-good food is a privilege, not a right. When the inmate violated the rights of law-abiding citizens by committing a crime, they forfeited certain privileges (and rights): freedom, choice, and certainly the privilege to be picky eaters.