Prisoner Reentry & the Challenge of Being Food Insecure

• In Event: Race and Public Policy

Abstract

Approximately 15.8 million households in the United States are food insecure, and these households represent almost 49 million women, men and children. A sub-section of the food insecure population is former prisoners who return to society after being released from prison. The returning prison population is marginalized and spatially concentrated in urban communities; this population is often unemployed, homeless, and poor. As a result, they have difficulty meeting basic needs, including accessing enough food. Based on in-depth interviews and surveys from adult clients of a food bank in a large city, food insecurity is examined based on the first-hand accounts of former prisoners who visit food pantries in a major U.S. city. This paper documents how food insecurity and the lack of access to basic necessities negatively impacts efforts to successfully reenter society.

Author

• Keesha M. Middlemass, Howard University