Illinois County Jail Standards[1] provides that: "Food must be of sufficient nutritional value and provide a minimum of 1,800 to 2,000 calories for adults" Wh

Illinois County Jail Standards[1] provides that: "Food must be of sufficient nutritional value and provide a minimum of 1,800 to 2,000 calories for adults" Which is one of the worst written statutes I've ever seen. How do you have a range for a minimum? Of course, the jails aim for the lower end, which in theory should be sufficient for a sedentary population, but protein is highly expensive and most of those calories are cheap carbs which don't satiate the prisoners. Also, the Jail Standards are not enforceable by the courts as Illinois courts can only enforce laws which have a punishment for non-compliance and are therefore deemed mandatory. Otherwise they are just directory. People see the word "shall" in statutes and assume that government officials must comply, but that is not the case in many states.[2] Food for prisoners is really back-stopped by the 8th and 14th Amendments and their requirement is simply that you don't die of malnutrition. [1] https://www.ilga.gov/ftp/JCAR/AdminCode/020/020007010001100R.html https://www.ilga.gov/ftp/JCAR/AdminCode/020/020007010001100R... [2] https://www.isba.org/committees/governmentlawyers/newsletter/2015/06/whentermshalldirectoryillinoissup https://www.isba.org/committees/governmentlawyers/newsletter...