Food inequalities have been a long-standing political and social issue for women in prison. Currently, the food budget per prisoner per day in England and Wales is only £2.71 for three meals and all beverages, which is lower than the cost of one lunch meal for a primary school-aged child. Due to this, there are many restrictions around food practices that affect the daily experiences of those incarcerated, such as eating with plastic cutlery in a cell, and which can accentuate the loss of family foodways associated with home and family, becoming symbolic of the low status of being a prisoner (Parsons, 2018). Adopting a qualitative approach, the ESRC-funded Doing Porridge project interviewed 80 women from across four prisons in England, and this presentation will discuss the findings from this study. It will outline how women experience food in prison by highlighting the relationship between food, social identities, and agency. In this, we will illustrate the following themes: women’s experiences prior to prison that help shape how they think about food in prison; food poverty, and what this means for food practices in prison; and lastly, policy and practical recommendations that we have identified to improve the quality of food in prison.

This presentation highlights the significance of growing and cooking food for developing a change in outlook amongst people with convictions as they navigate their journeys into the community following punishment. I examine the ways in which these activities provide opportunities for bearing witness to desistance through the narrative accounts of two individuals whio have been on palcment at a pioneering and award winning, independent and part community funded resettlement charity (RC). I also draw on data from several funded research projects undertaken at the RC, which works with people released on temporary licence (ROTL), people recently released from prison and others on communtiy sentences, all referred through probation and collectively referred to as trainees. The research data includes over 120 interview transcripts and detailed ethnographic field notes. The RC began in 2013 as a project committed to the growing and sharing of food as tools of social inclusion, which developed into growing, sharing and cooking a lunchtime meal, once cooking facilities were established on site in 2015. Overall, a key element of the RC's success in reducing recidivism and finding employment for its trainees is based on a holistic, strenghts-based approach to resettlement, which makes use of a range of on-site activities to enhance self-esteem, self-confidence and devlop trusting relaitonships, which includes growing and cooking food together.

Research shows that involving vulnerable communities in food-growing-related activities can have a range of positive long-term outcomes. In this presentation, I will be discussing three different studies that were conducted in partnership with prisons, charities, and individuals who have had encounters with the criminal justice system. These studies have highlighted the crucial role that land-based activities, such as food growing, can play in supporting rehabilitation and providing employment-related skills to individuals who are incarcerated or reintegrating into the community. Working outside in nature has been found to support health and well-being, as well as instilling a sense of belonging and community. When delivered holistically, land-based activities can be a powerful tool for effecting change and supporting individuals with multiple and complex issues while they are in prison or transitioning back into the community.