Tenth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

In Baltimore, the relationship between individuals living in neighborhoods designated as food deserts and neighborhood-based levels of incarceration is closely linked. Communities have long recognized this relationship and turned to urban farms as a means to build an alternative solidarity economy in the face of food apartheid. Reimagining Food Justice: From Farms to Prisons explores the relationship between carceral capitalism, food justice, and prison abolition through the work of the Farm to Prison Project, an initiative to change food conditions in prisons to humanize individuals affected by incarceration. For currently incarcerated individuals, food serves as a tool to break emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing. In addition, food service providers effectively use the criminal justice system to boost profits by heavily cutting on costs. By serving local, wholesome, and nutritious foods in correctional facilities, we not only reclaim the role of food in prison as an avenue for humanization, but we can also provide alternatives to the foodservice corporations profiting off of the prison-industrial complex. This presentation will provide a historical overview of hyper-segregation and food apartheid in Baltimore, a summary of the public health crisis regarding food in prisons, and how creating a link between urban farms and correctional facilities can serve a dual function of strengthening a solidarity economy on the outside and helping pave a pathway for conditions for liberation on the inside. The presentation will also provide a summary of our research and pilot program at a Maryland correctional institution, including challenges, lessons learned, and next steps.