Introducing our groundbreaking report on the Maryland correctional food system—the first-of-its-kind investigation into prison food from an abolitionist perspective.

Press Release | Read the Full Report

Introduction & Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 (Out Now!)

On September 9, 2021, the 50th anniversary of the Attica prison uprising, we are honored to release our grassroots capstone report on the experience of eating in Maryland's prisons. A culmination of over two years of research, conversations, interviews, and dialogue circles with folks formerly and currently imprisoned in Maryland, this report uncovers the violence of the Maryland correctional food system—laying bare the true impact of food in confinement.

From insects, maggots, and rat droppings in meal trays; to food that is routinely described as “unfit for animals, much less human beings”; to the manufacturing of perpetual hunger as a source of financial extraction for commissary providers; the people we spoke with characterized prison food provision as nothing short of a public health and human rights crisis. Our findings span over 180 pages and are divided into six sections—each describing a different aspect of the carceral industrial food system. Crucially, this report brings to light both the central role of food inside prison as well as its implications outside of bondage for those working toward food sovereignty and, more broadly, communal self-determination.

We are releasing each part of our report separately over the span of two weeks. As of September 22, 2021, all parts have been made public.

Access and ownership over the food we eat is one of our most basic rights. The creation of a world where we all have power over food that physically, spiritually, and emotionally sustains us, heals us, and nourishes us cannot exist while prisons and all structures of violence oppression still stand.

It is from this grounding that we present this report.

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