Dining in: The Symbolic Power of Food in Prison

Abstract

Just as food plays an important symbolic role in greater society, eating inside a prison is imbued with a great amount of power and significance. Consumption is a constantly recurring aspect of institutional life and, therefore, by examining this ubiquitous act, a researcher can access a subtle, nuanced account of how power operates within the prison apparatus. By drawing on examples from interviews with prisoners about the prison food experience, this article will work to make visible the centrality of prisoner resistance to these power dynamics. In addition, this examination of prison food will support current analyses in the criminological literature by developing an increased understanding of the prisoner as both agent and subject, while highlighting the moral dimensions of penal practice. Sometimes I close my eyes and just remember, remember being in ___ [name of place] and then it was just (pause) sit at the table, and I got a lot of brothers and sisters, you know. My dad's there and I just sit at the table and it's like, eat and laugh and talk and drink and enjoy with my family . . . There's very few feelings like that in the world and a person can experience that through food. (Participant 5)Eating is not something that just happens to us; on the contrary, all of us 'do' food in some way or another. Consumptive acts are a set of practices, rituals, and behaviours that each individual, in conjunction with others, regularly performs. It is through these performances that we infuse food with meaning. The foods we eat, how and where we eat them, and under what circumstances we consume are based on a political, cultural and familial heritage that extends far beyond our biological need for fuel (Iggers 1996;Tisdale 2000;Visser 1991).The aim of this article is to describe and explore food-based resistance as an important theme in prisoners' stories about institutional food. Except for some commentary about the symbolic function of the prison diet (see Pratt 2002), the role that food plays in the daily routine of penal institutions has not been a focus of criminological research. Exploring food-based resistance in prison is valuable because it provides insight into how prisoners use consumptive spaces to negotiate and contest the power inequalities resulting from the prison's highly regulated environment.

Acceptance or refusal of convenience food in present-day prison

“…Food possesses a symbolic power and is a means of communication in a closely controlled environment (Brisman, 2007;Godderis, 2006aGodderis, , 2006bSmith, 2002;Ugelvik, 2011Ugelvik, , 2014Valentine & Longstaff, 1998). For example, Godderis (2006b) explained how food practices represent overt and covert displays of institutional power.…”

“…Next to these forms, prisoners experience an even more extensive and intrusive control when they lose choices about their own food intake. The prison staff and the state in general decide what, when, and how prisoners eat (Cate, 2008;Godderis, 2006a;Ugelvik, 2011). As a consequence, some prisoners lose control over their own bodies (Smith, 2002).…”

Southern foodways and culture [electronic resource] : local considerations and beyond

“…One type of activity does merit discussion for its potential to serve as an illegal group activity built on common philosophical grounds: hunger strikes. But because individual prisoners can undertake this type of resistance, a new category must be added to Godderis' (2006) typology.…”

“…They are frequently subjected to rules regarding how they must be dressed when they eat (Foucault 1977, 236;Valentine and Longstaff 1998;C. Smith 2002;Godderis 2006;Blumenthal 2007).…”

Foodservice perspective in institutions

“…Prisons also demonstrate some of the aspects of the morale-based service. Meals become very important social occasions in prison as an escape from the boredom of daily routine, and the ability to prepare some home-made and culturally specific food is highly prized (Godderis, 2006a). Complaints about food can be a significant focus of unrest in prisons.…”