Britain Locks Out Old Jail Tradition

LONDON —  Jail is to become an even more unappetizing place for British prisoners awaiting trial.

Under new rules that go into effect on Tuesday, prisoners will be barred from receiving food and drink from the outside, ending a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages when prisons did not have kitchens.

Unconvicted prisoners have been entitled to one pint of beer or one-quarter bottle of wine a day plus their own food. Some wealthy inmates have brightened up their incarceration with picnic hampers of smoked salmon and champagne.

But the Home Office says food parcels have become a favorite means of smuggling drugs into the 40 jails where reluctant guests are held before trial.