Jamie Mills, a convicted murderer, was given one last wish a few hours before he was put to death in America: what food would he choose to consume on his dying day?
A man found guilty of beating to death an elderly couple in Alabama informed prison officials that he would want something like to a seafood buffet, complete with two catfish fillets, three oysters, three onion rings, and one stuffed crab.
After consuming the lunch, Mills was brought to the execution room where he would be fatally injected. However, in American jails, the option of a last supper is not guaranteed. The long-standing custom is surrounded by controversy, moral debate, and even worries about potential government costs for the lunch.
“For everyone of us, food is the central theme. Deborah Denno, a law professor and the founding director of Fordham University’s Neuroscience and Law Center, described it as a place of ease, delight, and pleasure. We feel better about ourselves since it appears like we would give this to someone who was about to have their final meal. It does appear quite weird at the same time.
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According to a USA TODAY investigation, out of the 19 states where the death penalty is authorized and used, 12 permit special final meals; two of those jurisdictions have a ceiling on the amount. No matter what a sentenced person requests, Six only serves jail cuisine; in other words, nothing that isn’t prepared in the prison kitchen. Speaking on behalf of the Kansas Department of Corrections, David Thompson stated that the state’s death row meal policy is “under review” and that the state hasn’t had an execution since 1965.
The state fed convicted murderer Brian Dorsey two bacon double cheeseburgers, two orders of chicken strips, two large orders of seasoned fries, and a pizza with sausage, pepperoni, onion, mushrooms, and extra cheese last month, just hours before he was put to death over the protests of dozens of prison guards and Missouri’s governor.
Within the already contentious context of the death sentence, the notorious last meal that a condemned prisoner selects prior to execution has captured the attention of the American public and generated controversy. Critics of the criminal justice system contend that it is a disgrace to the individuals who were permanently harmed by the offenders and to taxpayers who must foot the bill, while some see it as a last gesture of mercy before the most severe penalty.
The final meal before execution is discussed by death row inmates
Death row inmates frequently talk about what they would like for their last meal years before they take their last breath, according to Sarah Gerwig, a law professor at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, who has been visiting inmates as a post-conviction counsel since 1998. According to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, death row inmates who were executed in 2020 had been there for an average of around 19 years.
The men and women incarcerated yearn for a return to normalcy and for the days when they could satisfy their need by simply going for it. That turns becomes a desired luxury, Gerwig said to USA TODAY. “Many inmates asked for final meals that would have reminded them of home-cooked meals from their early years or food that was meaningfully evocative or memorable.”
After Texas outlawed special last meals, Gerwig’s 2014 research examined the practice. She noted that some convicts use the occasion to “make a final statement,” knowing that their demands will be reported in the media.
As a sign of peace, Victor Feguer requested one whole olive for his last dinner, according to the Telegraph Herald. Before being put to death in 2019, Tennessee death row convict Donnie Edward Johnson asked his supporters to contribute meals to the needy rather than get a special supper.
Texas famous killer’s lavish dinner causes it to be abolished
Texas, which has carried out more than one-third of all executions in the United States since 1976, is well known for having banned special final meals in response to a 2011 request by a death row inmate, which infuriated then-state Senator John Whitmire.
Whitmire was responding to what was “perceived as a very extravagant meal,” according to Kristin Houle Cuellar, executive director of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Brewer and two other defendants were found guilty in 1998 of torturing and killing a 49-year-old Black man with a handicap in Jasper County.
Brewer requested for his last meal:
- Two chicken-fried steaks with gravy and sliced onions
- A triple-patty bacon cheeseburger
- A cheese omelet with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and jalapeños
- A bowl of fried okra with ketchup
- One pound of barbecued meat with half a loaf of white bread
- Three fajitas
- A meat lover’s pizza
- One pint of Blue Bell Ice Cream
- A slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts
- Three root beers
In 2011, when public uproar increased shortly after his death, Texas outlawed last meal requests.
Whitmire, who is currently Houston’s mayor, did not respond to demands for comment from USA TODAY.
