Eating Behind Bars
Ending the Hidden Punishment of Food in Prison
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- £8.99
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- £8.99
Publisher Description
A vivid exploration of the food crisis affecting millions of incarcerated Americans, Eating Behind Bars sheds new light on the power—and peril—of what’s on our plates
“This eye-opening book will convince you that everyone—absolutely everyone—is deserving of nourishing food that affirms their humanity and dignity.”—José Andrés, chef and humanitarian
Prisons and jails are America’s hidden “food deserts,” where hunger and malnourishment coexist with shocking levels of food waste because much of what is served is so awful it ends up in the trash. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are tense and humiliating when incarcerated people are forced to eat in silence, finish meals within minutes, and disciplined with food deliberately worse than the standard fare.
This disturbing portrait came to light in 2020 when the nonprofit Impact Justice released the first-ever national examination of food in prison, catapulting the issue from the margins of prison litigation to the center of national conversations about mass incarceration and food justice. This landmark book digs deeper, revealing a systemic drive to cut costs at the expense of health and decency. It is also a story of resistance and hope, chronicling how incarcerated people and their allies are fighting back, as well as exploring “farm to tray” programs, chef-led initiatives, and other ways to make food in prison a source of healing and bring dignity back to the table.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
