New dietary regulations for prisoners

Office of Legal Consulting Lao Dong Newspaper replied:

Article 7 of Decree 118/2024/ND-CP (effective from November 15, 2024) detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Execution of Criminal Judgments, stipulates the diet for prisoners as follows:

1. Prisoners are guaranteed by the State, the monthly quantitative standards include:

a) 17 kg of rice;

b) 15 kg of green vegetables;

c) 01 kg of pork;

d) 01 kg of fish;

d) 0.5 kg of sugar;

e) 0.75 liters of fish sauce;

g) 0.2 liters of cooking oil;

h) 0.1 kg of MSG;

i) 0.5 kg of salt;

k) Other spices: equivalent to 0.5 kg of rice;

l) Fuel: equivalent to 17 kg of firewood or 15 kg of coal.

Food, foodstuffs and fuels are guaranteed in quality and have average prices according to local market prices.

Prisoners' meals during holidays and Tet are implemented according to the provisions of law and Clause 1, Article 48 of the 2019 Law on Criminal Enforcement.

Prisoners working in the list of heavy, toxic, and dangerous occupations as prescribed by law will have their food ration increased, but the total food allowance will not exceed 02 times the normal daily food standard.

Based on the requirements to ensure the health of prisoners during detention, work, and study at the place of serving their sentences, the Head of the prison facility may decide to change the food ration to suit the reality so that prisoners can eat up their standard.

2. In addition to the food standards prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article, prisoners are allowed to use their gifts and money for additional food, but not more than 03 times the food ration in 01 month for each prisoner and must go through the custody system and canteen serving the daily life of prisoners of the detention facility.

3. Prisoners are guaranteed hygienic food and drink and food safety.

4. Each prison camp is organized with at least one communal kitchen. The standard of food utensils for a communal kitchen for 100 prisoners includes: 01 food cabinet with mesh or glass cover, 03 large pans, 01 small pan, 01 large pot for use in 03 years; knives, cutting boards, sinks, baskets, trays, bowls, chopsticks for use in 01 year and other necessary food utensils and equipment for cooking and dividing food rations for prisoners.

Food supplies for 01 meal tray for 06 prisoners include 01 table cover, 01 rice pot, 01 soup pot used for 02 years; 02 food plates, 01 dipping sauce bowl, 01 rice ladle, 01 soup ladle used for 01 year.

Food supplies for 01 prisoner to eat separately according to the meal include 01 lunch box with 04 compartments or a tray with 05 compartments made of plastic specialized for holding rice food and 01 plastic rice spoon used for 02 years.

5. Prisoners are provided with electricity and water to meet their daily needs.

Thus, from November 15, 2024, the monthly diet of prisoners is regulated as above.