Carceral Food System

Why Focus on Food in the Carceral System?  

Prisons and Jails in New England serve more than 70,000 meals every day. Incarcerated individuals represent some of the most vulnerable community members, and are disproportionately Black, Indigenous, low-income, and people of color. Building a resilient food system means that all people have the right to food that is nutritious, substantial, culturally appropriate, and never used as punishment. Reforming carceral food restores dignity within an inherently unjust system driven by deep racial and economic inequities. As we work towards a vision to end mass incarceration, we can lessen harm to incarcerated people by increasing their access to dignified and nourishing food.

Food is a basic human right. Food is central to well-being, yet people who are incarcerated have little to no control over what they eat.  The quality, sourcing, and cultural relevance of that food can have a significant impact on physical and mental health. Poor food can worsen chronic conditions, increase stress, and lower quality of life. In contrast, access to nutritious, fresh, high quality  sourced meals has the potential to reduce recidivism, restore dignity, and improve quality of life (Impact Justice, Eating Behind Bars, 2022).

Additionally, carceral food systems impact a broad range of people beyond those incarcerated—including families, communities, and local producers. There are 95 prisons and jails in New England which serve tens of thousands of people every day. Visit FINE’s data center for more information.  FINE sees changing carceral food as a powerful lever for social change. By focusing on food, we highlight broader issues within the justice system and pursue pathways toward equity, transparency, and accountability. 

Relationships & Collaboration

• DOC Food Service Community of Practice (CoP). Since 2022, we’ve facilitated a peer network for New England DOC food leaders which includes virtual sessions and multi-state site visits resulting in shared problem solving and practical menu and procurement changes.
• Carceral Advisory Group. A mix of regional and national leaders and experts who provide FINE advice and help shape priorities.
• Summit to Practice. Carceral tracks at the Northeast Farm to Institution Summit seed new collaborations, research questions, projects and policy pathways.

Research, Policy, & Transparency

• Prison Food Policy Landscape. With Vermont Law and Graduate School, we co-developed The State of Prison Food in New England.
• Traceability and Tracking. We’ve built practical tools for DOCs to monitor local expenditures, measure progress, and identify areas for growth.

Supply Chain Development & Technical Assistance

• Vermont Farm to Prison Project. This two-year grant through the Agency of Agriculture has increased the amount of fresh, local product being sourced and served in VT DOCs and created systems that are driving lasting change. Learn more from the blog, Getting Produce into Vermont Prisons and the Offrange article, Farm-to-Prison Cuisine.
• Contract & Menu Support.  We can work with decision-makers to align contracts and menus with nutritional, cultural, and local-sourcing goals.

Convening & Culture Change

• Site Visits Across States. We bring nutritionists, policy leads, distributors, food hubs, formerly incarcerated and facility teams into the same kitchens and storerooms to solve problems.
• Story & Learning. We uplift practitioner-tested models (e.g., Mountain View Correctional Facility scratch-cooking) and share tools widely so every state doesn’t have to reinvent.