Prison Food Violates Human Rights. This Affects Us All.

Inedible and innutritious food is killing inmates, budgets, and the potential for rehabilitation.

Food or Punishment? March 21, 2008.                                                     AP Photo/Andy Duback

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The top concern among the 2 million prisoners in the United States (2022) is food. Reports of maggots, rancid meat, mouldy bread, and the notorious nutraloaf - so unpalatable that is has been banned in some states – are common. We must acknowledge that using food as punishment does more harm than good. For everyone.

With some facilities serving just two meals per day, it is common for inmates to report a “constant gnawing hunger.” Many have lost an unhealthy amount of weight due to the insufficient calories provided, and prisoners in a Georgia county jail even resorted to eating “toothpaste and toilet paper” after suffering from starvation. Meagre portions mean many also struggle with the symptoms of malnutrition, from bleeding gums to skin rashes.

While inmates can spend their paltry wages (maximum $1.15/hour) on overpriced snacks at the commissary, the ultra-processed foods on offer, such as instant ramen and potato chips, do nothing to supplement their already innutritious diets, often even worsening them. Research from the CDC indicates that sodium intake among prisoners is up to 2-3 times higher than recommended, and surveys report that 62.2% of inmates have never had access to fresh vegetables.

This takes a toll on inmates’ health. Not only are they 6.4x more likely to contract a food-related illness than the general population, but according to the Bureau of Justice, 75% are overweight or obese, 40% report an ongoing chronic condition, 30% have hypertension, 10% suffer from heart problems, and 9% deal with diabetes – all above the national average. Ultimately, each year in prison translates to a two-year decline in life expectancy.

Poor diet also causes unrest, like when inmates at an Alabama county jail rioted, and detrimentally impacts mental health, leading to suicide attempts. Civil rights lawsuits claim violations of inmates’ constitutional rights, arguing the food amounts to “cruel and unusual punishment,” a breach of the 8th amendment.

This is a result of increased privatisation, as prisons outsource their services to food giants, Aramark and Trinity, as a cost-cutting measure. Critics of prison food reform argue this cost-cutting has saved prisons and taxpayers millions of dollars, as the daily cost to feed a prisoner has dropped to just $1-3.

But this does not consider the increase in diet-related healthcare costs. While prison food costs $2.1 billion overall (2017), it is eclipsed by the $12.3 billion in healthcare costs. Moreso, after release, prisoners’ health problems become community health problems, increasing the financial burden on the local public health system. It is in everyone’s best interests to improve prison food, so that the physical and financial costs of this “hidden public health crisis” can be alleviated.

Public opinion polls reveal that most Americans do not support increased spending for inmates, as 82% think life in prison is too easy. But clearly there are no incentives in upholding the current punitive food system. We should remember US penal theory includes rehabilitation as an intent of confinement: for those who don’t think prisoners deserve nutritious food, it is paramount to understand the key role food plays in increasing rehabilitation and decreasing recidivism. This positively impacts us all.

Nationally, recidivism is at a costly 66%. But for prisoners who participated in gardening programs, recidivism decreased to 24%. These programs not only improved diets (relieving healthcare) but also helped inmates form a more positive self-identity, enhancing their successful re-entry into society.

A clear example of food successfully being used as a tool for reform, rather than a punitive mechanism of control and dehumanization, is at Maine’s Mountain View Correctional Facility, where inmates grow organic produce and bake bread on site. This has led to budget surpluses, less food waste, and increased occupational training, assisting in life after release.

We must think of incarcerated people as just that. People. When prisons receive food marked “not fit for human consumption,” we must be outraged. We must question why inmates are not subject to the same FDA nutrition guidelines as the public. We must demand the American Correctional Association mandate three meals per day. We must understand that food is not a punishment, but a right.

In its current state, prison food is “a public health and human rights crisis.” It is time to leverage diet as a cost-effective rehabilitative tool. The basic human right to nutritious food must extend behind bars.