Eating behind bars---a hidden punishment

I first heard complaints and horror stories about prison food 3 decades ago. That was before Humanity for Prisoners was founded. I began working with a friend behind bars to help prove his innocence. This involved numerous prison visits. And, one doesn’t have to chat with inmates for long before the topic of food comes up. 

Since I started HFP our team and I have heard stories you wouldn’t believe…mold, maggots, rotten meat, rodents and more!

Last month, a fine piece was published about these issues, and that prompts me to talk about it again. Wilfredo Laracuente is a Reentry Program Specialist, and I’ll be lifting some of his quotes from a column entitled IS PRISON FOOD A LONG-TERM DEATH SENTENCE? The simple answer: Yes! 

The prison cuisine story is far more complex than just bad food. Let me explain.  Here’s what else happens when Michigan spends less than $2 for three meals a day for its state prisoners--- 

-The Portions are too small. (A 2020 study by the criminal justice reform advocacy group Impact Justice found that 94% of incarcerated people surveyed said they did not receive enough food to feel full.) 

-Still-hungry prisoners often rely on vending machine food to fill their stomach. But, as Laracuente points out, “Survival meals aren’t nutrition. They keep people alive in the moment while slowly damaging health over years.” 

-Vending machines are a privilege, and not all prisoners can afford these products. If a prisoner is fortunate enough to get a job here in Michigan, the wages for him or her will range from 14 to 60 cents per hour. Researcher Alysia Santo reports in a nationwide study that meager portions have left desperate people who cannot afford vending machine food eating toothpaste and toilet paper. 

Laracuente: “When we feed people poorly and deny them fair wages, we aren’t just punishing them inside. We are writing chronic illness into their bodies and cutting their lives short. That is the hidden death sentence of prison food. Subscribing to these forced dietary restrictions isn’t just uncomfortable—it creates health concerns that can become a long-term death sentence. 

“And the damage doesn’t stop at the prison gates: Decades of poor nutrition inside fuel chronic illnesses that follow people home, compounding the struggle of reentry and cutting years off life expectancy. These conditions are not incidental—they are diet-driven. 

“This isn’t about taste—it’s about health, dignity, and survival. Lives are being cut short by a structure that denies nutrition, wages, and care, all in the name of efficiency.” 

Well, there you have it. I’ve been using a lot of quotes because these writers can tell the story better. I admit that I’ve been hammering on this for a long time. Not only in Michigan, but nationwide, we can and must work on improvement. 

The damaging and degrading prison food experience is a

symptom of a larger systemic malady: our dependence on a

dehumanizing criminal justice system to address harm.

Soble, L., Stroud, K., & Weinstein, M.