PRISON Regulations by Jurisdiction

Federal Prisons Federal Bureau of Prisons http://www.bop.gov/ The Federal Bureau of Prisons was established in 1930. Today, the Bureau consists of 114 institutions which are responsible for the custody and care of more than 193,000 Federal offenders. Approximately 85 percent of these inmates are confined in Bureau-operated correctional facilities or detention centers. The remainder are confined through agreements with state and local governments or through contracts with privately-operated community corrections centers, detention centers, prisons, and juvenile facilities. As with many other prison systems, vegetarian diets are only approved because they are a part of an established religious practice. In other words, a person would not qualify for a vegetarian diet because s/he states “it is my moral practice.” For this reason, inmates should carefully consider whether they can present their request for vegetarian food as part of a religious practice, before beginning the request process. For additional guidelines on vegetarianism and various religions, please see the Guide prepared by the  Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians: Vegetarianism and the Major World Religions. You can download this from the Society's website here: http://www.serv-online.org/pamphlet.pdf. Regulations for requesting special diets in Federal Prisons are specified in the Bureau of Prisons  Religious Beliefs and Practices manual which you can download here. The sections to read begin on page 17. Federal Bureau of Prisons Manual: Religious Beliefs and Practices

Federal Prisons The following is from the BOP regulations: Inmates wishing to participate in the religious diet program will make the request in writing. Chaplains will conduct an oral interview and complete the interview form within two working days of the request. This will determine how participation in the religious diet program is best accommodated given the inmate's religious preference and beliefs. Inmates will review and sign a copy of the completed interview form. Chaplains will document an inmate's refusal to sign the document. When the interview is completed, the chaplaincy team will review the request to determine how to accommodate the inmate's stated religious dietary needs. Inmates will be notified in writing of the accommodations for which they are approved, based on their religious dietary needs (BP-S700). You can use this link to view a copy of form BOP-S700.