Ohio Bans Pork From Prison Menus

No baloney — Ohio has caved to a lawsuit by two Muslim prison inmates and banned pork for all prisoners in its jails.

Dick Isler, executive director of the Ohio Pork Producers Council, says the state’s pork farmers and processors are vowing to fight the ban.

The lawsuit was filed by Muslim death row inmate Abdul Awkal, who is scheduled to die in June for killing his estranged wife and brother-in-law in 1992. He maintains that the prison system’s failure to provide halal meals — prepared according to Islamic teachings — is a restraint on his religious freedoms.

Awkal said in a court filing: “The issue of eating halal meals is especially important to me because I face a death sentence. It is important to me that I follow the requirements of my faith as I approach death.”

Joining Awkal in the suit is Cornelius Causey, who is serving 15 years to life for murder and aggravated robbery.

The suit, filed on behalf of the two inmates by the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, maintains that it is not enough for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to offer vegetarian and non-pork meals, which are available to inmates. The inmates assert that all their food must be prepared in a specific fashion — for example, animals must be butchered by slitting their throats and draining their blood — to conform to Islamic beliefs.

JoEllen Smith, spokeswoman for the department, said removing pork from the menu eliminates the possibility of pork coming into contact with other foods during preparation, according to The Associated Press.

But the state argues that providing halal meals would be costly, given the current budget situation.