Eating Behind Bars: Ending the Hidden Punishment of Food in Prison

Food is a way to “control, punish, and shame” in America’s jails and prisons, according to this stomach-churning account from Soble, Busansky, and Yusuf, who all work at prison reform advocacy group Impact Justice. The book’s first half is drawn from a report the group put out in 2020, the “first-ever national study of food in prison,” and paints a damning picture of malnutrition, inaccessibility, and food waste. Meal trays often feature bland one-size-fits-all meals that are high in sodium and sugar, low in nutrients, typically lack fresh produce, and are thought up by corporations that prioritize profit. Much of the food goes uneaten, and commissary offerings are often highly processed and expensive; at the same time, in a cruel irony, many prisoners are forced to labor as agricultural workers, handling fresh produce they can’t access. Elsewhere, the report describes radon in water supplies, roach droppings in food, and guard dogs that eat better than prisoners. In the second half, the authors turn to solutions, which include California efforts to connect local farmers with prison suppliers and Maine chefs who train prisoners in culinary skills. It’s a heavy mix of harrowing and hopeful, as the authors argue that change is possible, and in some cases, already arriving. Readers interested in food justice shouldn’t miss this. (Oct.)