The Surprising Last Meal Item Death Row Inmates Can't Have

A hot topic for average Joes when it comes to the death penalty is what an inmate chooses to have for their final meal. It's a common party question too, so most people have an idea of what they would have in front of them if they were to eat for the final time . But many won't associate the question with death, or the deaths of some of the world's most evil people. Without a doubt, death row meal requests have piqued the interest of the general public, but they aren't as common as you'd think. This is because several US states have banned death row inmates from having a choice at all , with the move coming around 2011, when Lawrence Russell Brewer requested an obscene amount of food. The convict was on death row after committing a racially motivated murder, and for his final meal, he requested a selection of foods such as two chicken-fried steaks, a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger, and a Pizza Hut meat lover's pizza. But when the food arrived, he claimed he was not hungry and did not eat any of it, which led to Texas prison officials ending special last meal requests for good. Death row inmates were given more of a choice for their final meals in the past. Credit: Mike Simons / Getty What is the banned item in death row final meals? While prison officials have more say on what can and can't be included in death row inmates' final meals, there is one item that is prohibited. Prisoners are not allowed to ask for alcohol - it is considered contraband behind bars, so it isn't allowed in the facility under any circumstance, and this includes a final meal request. Tobacco also isn't permitted, so when a prison allows a final meal, the request must fit within its parameters. It has long been believed that the final prisoner who was granted a prohibited item was Manuel Fernandez back in 1835, as he was granted a "nip of brandy," while smoking a cigar in his final moments. Different era, it must be said. Which states allow final meals? Approximately 12 US states allow inmates on death row to request a final meal, but there are different rules in place depending on the state. Florida, for example, allows the meal to cost up to $40, while Oklahoma sets the cap at $25. However, the majority of states serve inmates regular prison cafeteria food with no special requests granted. Dominick Occhicone recently had a final meal request granted in Florida. Credit: Florida Department of Corrections A recent death row inmate's final meal Dominick Occhicone, who spent four decades behind bars after he was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend's parents in 1986, would be part of the US's first double execution in nine years. The inmate was pronounced dead at 6:13 PM at the prison, just five hours after ex-cop James Duckett was given the lethal injection too. But hours before the deed, the murderer requested that he have eggplant parmesan, a salad, garlic bread, and a Pepsi as his final meal, as per the Tampa Bay Times . Duckett, 68, who was convicted of raping and drowning an 11-year-old girl in 1987, instead asked for eggs, grits, bacon, biscuits, and chocolate milk for his last meal. The last state to hold executions on the same day was Arkansas in April 2017, with 1964 being the last time two inmates were executed on the same day in Florida. Duckett and Occhicone became the 11th and 12th inmates executed in The Sunshine State this year, after the US Supreme Court denied appeals on Tuesday. Featured image credit: Mike Simons / Getty