Jewish inmates suing to get kosher meals

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Three prison inmates who practice Orthodox Judaism want the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to pay for them to eat kosher meals. <br/><br/>The inmates say D-O-C is violating the

Saturday, July 10th 2004, 10:20 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Three prison inmates who practice Orthodox Judaism want the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to pay for them to eat kosher meals.

The inmates say D-O-C is violating the First Amendment by not letting them practice their chosen religion.

In federal court this week, D-O-C attorneys argued that serving the kosher meals would cost millions of dollars, might violate the First Amendment's establishment-of-religion clause and could even cause riots.

The inmates are incarcerated at Joseph Harp Correctional Center near Lexington. Jon Andrew Cottriel, Jerry Harmon, and Dennis Earl Fulbright are all sex offenders.

They say they're forced to pay for kosher meals without knowing for sure if it's kosher.