Who is at my chef’s table: the social network among incarcerated peers collaborating by purchasing, trading, preparing, and eating food

• In Event: PWG - More than a meal: The role of nutrition and food practices in prisons

Abstract

Food in prison is more than just sustenance; it serves as a powerful social catalyst, shaping relationships, hierarchies, and identities within the restrictive environment of incarceration. Qualitative criminological research has explored how communal cooking fosters new identities, strengthens peer relationships, and promotes resource-sharing for financial benefits (e.g. Ifeonu et al., 2022; Minke, 2014; Earle & Philips, 2012). However, while quantitative research has extensively examined social networks in prisons (e.g., Hashimi & Schaefer, 2018; Sentse et al., 2021), the role of food-related interactions—such as buying, trading, cooking, and sharing food—in shaping these networks remains underexplored.

The current study uses a quantitative social network analysis to examine food-related social structures across four prison units in the Netherlands. By analysing the collaborative dynamics of purchasing, trading, preparing, and consuming food, this research identifies structural patterns. This study also investigates how demographic factors, social status, financial capital, cooking skills, and food preferences influence these networks. The findings offer new insights into the social organization of prison life, highlighting the ways in which collective food-related activities shape social networks within prison.

Authors

• Elisabeth Groeneveld, Leiden University

• Paul Nieuwbeerta, Leiden University

• An-Sofie Vanhouche, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Hanneke Palmen, Leiden University