Fresh Starts: Culinary Agency and Community Little Scandinavia

• In Event: Roundtable: Empirical Observations from The Scandinavian Prison Project - Little Scandinavia and Beyond

Abstract

Given the novelty of the reform at SCI Chester it has been paramount to gain in-depth knowledge about the perceptions and perspectives of the incarcerated individuals who have moved into this new prison environment. For this reason, the SPP team has conducted hundreds of hours of interviews with LS residents. A recurring topic in these interviews is that one of the most significant differences between their life in the unit and their life in other units/other facilities is their access to fresh food. Through a partnership with a local grocery store, men on LS are able to purchase fresh food, and the unit provides them with a full-service kitchen to prepare their meals. Drawing on interviews with current and former LS residents, this presentation identifies themes that emerge around the significance of food in their lives on the unit. Future analysis will compare how men on LS discuss food and meal preparation with how men in other units describe the significance of food in their day-to-day prison lives, as well as how other food/cooking arrangements at the new pilot sites are experienced.

Author

• Veronica L. Horowitz, University at Buffalo, SUNY