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The Alabama prison system has a simple and inexpensive solution to satisfying vegetarian inmates: Take the meat off the tray, and dinner is served.

But the 46,000 inmates in Pennsylvania's 27 state institutions can

choose entrees such as tofu cacciatore, soy barbecue, veggie burgers and soy sausage patties.

The state's catering to vegetarian prisoners' taste buds caught the attention of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which ranked Pennsylvania third on its "Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Prisons" list.

"PETA frequently hears from prisoners asking how they can get more vegetarian menus," said PETA spokeswoman Lindsey Rajt. ... The federal and state prison systems are not mandated by law to offer protein alternatives, although both do. There have been numerous court cases addressing such requests from prisoners, but the decision to provide vegetarian meals was made by the correctional systems.

"We use our alternative to respond to the health and lifestyle needs of various classes of inmates -- health, diabetes, heart-related problems, religion," McNaughton said. "Kosher diets and specialized vegan diets present a slightly different problem, and our food service professionals have created appropriate alternatives to provide a balanced, healthy meal with equivalent caloric values."

The sodium content in state prison menus was reduced in 2003, which helped to reduce the number of special medical diets, such as for inmates with high blood pressure, she said.

Meals for inmates in Pennsylvania's prisons cost an average of $2.73 per day, including the protein-alternative options. That's a nickel over the average daily cost of $2.68 to feed the nation's 201,000 federal prisoners, a spokesman said.

Corbett said Alabama's refusal to offer vegetarian meals is based on practicality.

"You are preparing food for 30,000 people a day," he said. "If you do something special for one, in my opinion, you are opening up a whole lot of doors."

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