In Texas, death row inmates no longer have the option to select their final meal, a choice many inmates in other states are offered.
According to BBC News, as of 2022, 55 nations globally still implemented the death penalty, with an estimated 28,000 individuals on death row.
In the U.S., the death penalty remains legal in 27 out of the 50 states, including Texas, which is known for its frequent use of capital punishment.
Recently, Moises S. Mendoza was executed by lethal injection in Texas after being convicted for the 2004 murder of Rachelle O’Neil Tolleson, a 20-year-old mother.
Mendoza had been on death row for five years before his execution on April 23. In his final statement, he expressed remorse to his victim’s family.
“I am sorry for having robbed you of Rachelle’s life,” he said.
Mendoza also apologized to Tolleson’s daughter, Avery, acknowledging that he had deprived her of her mother.
He added: “I know nothing that I could ever say or do would ever make up for that. I want you to know I am sincere. I apologize.”
Prior to his execution, Mendoza was not permitted the choice of a final meal, as Texas has banned death row inmates from selecting their last meal since 2011.
This decision followed the actions of Lawrence Russell Brewer, executed in the same year.
Brewer, a white supremacist, was convicted with others for the 1998 murder of James Byrd Jr.
At the time, inmates were allowed to choose their last meal. Brewer took advantage of this, requesting an excessive amount of food.
Jacksonville.com reported his request included two chicken-fried steaks, a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger, fried okra, a pound of barbecue, three fajitas, and a meat lover’s pizza.
He further asked for dessert items such as a pint of ice cream and a slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts.
Despite fulfilling his request, Brewer did not consume any of the food, stating he wasn’t hungry.
This action prompted Texas senator John Whitmire to express his frustration in a letter to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. “It is extremely inappropriate to give a person sentenced to death such a privilege,” he wrote.
The department’s director concurred with the senator’s stance, leading to the immediate cessation of the 87-year tradition of allowing Texas death row inmates to choose their last meal.