OPINIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE FRENCH CGLPL time, with few exceptions, all custodial establishments are able to supply meals of various kinds. However, very few of them offer food that complies with ritual regulations. This has two consequences: firstly, a corruption of practices, with detainees requesting vegetarian menus for example, even though they have no desire to refrain from eating meat; secondly, with insufficient quantities of food being consumed: young men, particularly those held in prisons, frequently complain that they are not given as much food as they could eat. The circumstance, argued by the authorities, that the current menus provided meet the needs of a balanced and varied diet, coupled with food hygiene requirements, does not really answer the question. From now on, custodial establishments should be organised in such a way that they can provide menus that meet special dietary requirements, provided of course that they comply with denominational practices, other than in circumstances where medical instructions are being followed. • • • Subject to compliance with requirements linked to human health or to the smooth running of establishments, the option of observing fasting periods should be available; this is frequently the case already. Provided that the conditions prevailing in the market for foodstuffs permit (which is normally the case in France today), a supply of meats or other foodstuffs prepared according to rites approved by the competent religious authorities should be sought out and used. Incidentally, the information gathered by the Inspectorate has not indicated that the price of such foodstuffs is prohibitive; on the contrary, the prices in question sometimes appear to be lower than those of the products usually purchased. On the other hand, persons who are deprived of their liberty and have no special dietary requirements should not be subject to any dietary restrictions not applicable to them. There is no reason, for example, why people who wish to eat pork cannot do so. If the contracts needed to broaden the scope of dietary practices cannot be concluded in the near future, then the following steps should be taken: 90