Page 85 - Summer2009

(Soy Alert! Campaign) can help with the high tionalized Persons Act (CRIPA). A sample letter
cost of legal representation. is given below.
/HWWHUV WR WKH SUHVV ,OOLQRLV HOHFWHG RI¿FLDOV
(including the governor and attorney general of FOR RELATIVES OF INMATES
Illinois) and even U.S. Congressional represen- The soy diet, especially when consumed in
tatives can alert others to this serious situation- large amounts for a lengthy period of time, will
which threatens not only the health of inmates destroy the health of your loved one in prison.
EXW WKH IXWXUH RI ¿VFDO VROYHQF\ LQ WKH VWDWH RI The most important way you can help is to send
Illinois —because personal injury lawsuits are your incarcerated relative money to purchase
bound to follow. commissary food.
Write to the U.S. Department of Justice and :ULWH RU YLVLW \RXU HOHFWHG RI¿FLDOV DERXW WKLV
request that they initiate an investigation and situation. This contact can be especially effective
enforcement action under the Prison Litigation IURP WKRVH ZKR NQRZ RQ D ¿UVW KDQG EDVLV WKH
5HIRUP $FW 8QLWHG 6WDWHV &RGH 6HFWLRQ suffering the soy diet has caused.
1997a, also known as the Civil Rights of Institu- Write to the U. S. Department of Justice and

SAMPLE LETTER SENT BY A CONCERNED CITIZEN

[Date]
Honorable Eric Holder, Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20530

Copy to:
Patrick J. Fitzgerald, Special Council
U.S. Department of Justice, Northern District of Illinois
Federal Building, 219 South Dearborn Street, 5th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60604

Dear Sirs:

I am writing to request that you initiate an investigation and enforcement action under the Prison Litigation Reform
Act, 42 United States Code Section 1997a, also known as the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA).
I am concerned about the practice of feeding a soy-based diet to inmates in the Illinois prisons, which was initiated in
January of 2003. According to information posted in the FDA’s Poisonous Plant Database and from research published in
medical journals over the past sixty years, soy has the potential to cause serious health problems, especially if consumed
in large amounts. This diet may make it impossible for those incarcerated in Illinois to engage in necessary activities to earn
their living after their release and may even cause them to have medical problems that will be very costly to the state of
Illinois.
According to law, prisoners are entitled to “nutritionally adequate food” (Ramos v Lamm, 639.2d 559, 1980). Accord-
ing to Illinois law, “Infliction of unnecessary suffering on prisoner by failure to treat his medical needs is inconsistent with
contemporary standards of decency and violates the Eighth Amendment” (Key Note 7. Criminal Law 1213).
The justification for the switch from beef to soy is to save money, but according to one court case, “A lack of financing
is not a defense to a failure to satisfy minimum constitutional standards in prisons” (Duran v. Anaya, 642, Supp. 510 (DNM
1986), page 525, paragraph 6).
I urge you to look into this situation and take action to reinstate a nutritious diet for the inmates in Illinois prisons,
before the soy diet irreparably destroys their health.
Sincerely yours,

[Name]
[Address]
[City, State, Zip]

SUMMER 2009 Wise Traditions 83