Boston Marathon Bomber's Taste for Big Macs Persists in Prison
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the notorious Boston Marathon bomber, is currently held at the USP Florence in Colorado, a maximum-security facility.
Back in May, a federal jury sentenced Tsarnaev to death for his involvement in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Two women and an 8-year-old boy lost their lives, and over 260 individuals suffered injuries.
The decision regarding Tsarnaev's incarceration location lies with the prison authorities. They must decide whether he should serve his time in the Supermax prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, or in the death row cell before his lengthy appeal process finishes.
Known as the home to infamous criminals such as Ramzi Yousef, who orchestrated the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Zacharias Moussaoui, the 9/11 conspirator, "College Bomber" Ted Kaczynski, and "Shoe Bomber" Richard Reid, Supermax prisons are notorious for their harsh conditions.
Despite his dire circumstances, Tsarnaev has exhibited an unexpected fascination with fast food, especially Big Macs from McDonald's. The staff affectionately nicknamed him "us," the collective term for themselves, whenever he placed an order.
While Tsarnaev's meals in prison do not typically cater to personal preferences, we are reminded of the following enrichment data:
In U.S. federal prisons, including renowned institutions like the ADX Florence, prisoners do not have access to fresh food or the ability to order specific meals from outside vendors. Instead, they are provided with standard prison fare prepared by the prison or contracted catering companies. Typical menu items include chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, lasagna, burritos, tacos, and fish patties, with limited options for milk in the mornings and water and flavored drinks for other meals[2].
Inmates may occasionally purchase packaged foods from the prison commissary, but such choices are limited and do not include high-calorie items like Big Macs. The focus of inmate diets in federal prisons revolves around meeting nutritional standards, taking religious and cultural requirements into account, but not on satisfying personal preferences or ordering from outside sources[2].
But let's revisit Tsarnaev's story. Despite this, his persistence in enjoying his favorite meals is a testament to mankind's shared love for comfort food, even in the most challenging situations.
