Doing Porridge: Understanding Women's Experiences of Food in Prison
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Surrey
Department Name: Sociology
Abstract
As highlighted by the Farmer Review in 2019, there is still a pressing need to understand the experience of women who are in prison. Women prisoners are likely to be drawn from more disadvantaged backgrounds and more likely to enter prison with experience of drug and/or alcohol dependency, domestic violence and self-harm. Food forms an important part of daily life in prisons. However, research has yet to provide a detailed exploration of food and the experience of eating in women's prisons in England. This study will provide an important opportunity to hear women's voices, in relation to food in prison and by doing so, will provide a window into life in women's prisons more generally.
The proposed research analyses women's experiences of food in prison using a range of qualitative research methods including observations, interviews, reflective diaries and art workshops. These will provide insight into women's perceptions of food in prison, with the aim of exploring the connections of food in situated spaces; the use of food in relation to consumption and preparation; and the extent to which ethnic and cultural needs are catered for in practice.
The main contribution of this project will be to apply an intersectional perspective to understanding the dynamics of food, in relation to conceptualising issues of social control; agency; and power in women's prisons. This study will look deeper at the intersections of gender, race and social class, with regards to how these have influenced the use of food in prison: for example, by looking closer at the essence of day-to-day prison life, food practices and daily diets. Fieldwork will take place in four women's prisons: HMPs Styal, Send, East Sutton Park and Downview. All four prisons have been selected because they are distinct from one another in terms of their location, capacity, architecture, length of sentences as well as the facilities available for the preparation and consumption of food. They also have differing governing practices and diverse ways of managing the provision of food.
Twenty women and five members of staff will take part in interviews in each location. The women from our study will also be invited to participate in an art workshop and to complete a reflective diary of their experiences of food in prison. This will provide rich multi-sensory findings from a total of eighty women in four prisons. We will conduct one-to-one interviews with women twice during the fieldwork. This will be at the beginning as well as after delivering the art workshop. During data collection, we will also be conducting observations as well as completing fieldwork diaries.
To celebrate the women's participation in the workshop, we will hold an exhibition to display their artwork for the public. We will manage and coordinate the planning of the exhibition in partnership with Koestler Arts, while Koestler Arts have agreed to set 'food' as a theme within their annual competition, leading to ongoing impact from the research. Within this context the study will make a practical contribution to knowledge by campaigning to improve the quality of food in women's prisons. We will develop a practitioner toolkit which will be disseminated to prison governors. Furthermore, we will share our findings with policymakers and practitioners to help with campaigning for change in the context of the quality of food in prison. This research will contribute to academic knowledge on food, women and prisons, in which we will draw out key themes in relation to: social control, agency as well as resistance. The findings from the project will be disseminated at national and international conferences in the fields of criminology and sociology.
The proposed research analyses women's experiences of food in prison using a range of qualitative research methods including observations, interviews, reflective diaries and art workshops. These will provide insight into women's perceptions of food in prison, with the aim of exploring the connections of food in situated spaces; the use of food in relation to consumption and preparation; and the extent to which ethnic and cultural needs are catered for in practice.
The main contribution of this project will be to apply an intersectional perspective to understanding the dynamics of food, in relation to conceptualising issues of social control; agency; and power in women's prisons. This study will look deeper at the intersections of gender, race and social class, with regards to how these have influenced the use of food in prison: for example, by looking closer at the essence of day-to-day prison life, food practices and daily diets. Fieldwork will take place in four women's prisons: HMPs Styal, Send, East Sutton Park and Downview. All four prisons have been selected because they are distinct from one another in terms of their location, capacity, architecture, length of sentences as well as the facilities available for the preparation and consumption of food. They also have differing governing practices and diverse ways of managing the provision of food.
Twenty women and five members of staff will take part in interviews in each location. The women from our study will also be invited to participate in an art workshop and to complete a reflective diary of their experiences of food in prison. This will provide rich multi-sensory findings from a total of eighty women in four prisons. We will conduct one-to-one interviews with women twice during the fieldwork. This will be at the beginning as well as after delivering the art workshop. During data collection, we will also be conducting observations as well as completing fieldwork diaries.
To celebrate the women's participation in the workshop, we will hold an exhibition to display their artwork for the public. We will manage and coordinate the planning of the exhibition in partnership with Koestler Arts, while Koestler Arts have agreed to set 'food' as a theme within their annual competition, leading to ongoing impact from the research. Within this context the study will make a practical contribution to knowledge by campaigning to improve the quality of food in women's prisons. We will develop a practitioner toolkit which will be disseminated to prison governors. Furthermore, we will share our findings with policymakers and practitioners to help with campaigning for change in the context of the quality of food in prison. This research will contribute to academic knowledge on food, women and prisons, in which we will draw out key themes in relation to: social control, agency as well as resistance. The findings from the project will be disseminated at national and international conferences in the fields of criminology and sociology.
Publications
Power E
(2024)
'Connection Rather Than Output': Reflections on the Role of Art Workshops in Qualitative Research With Women in Prison
in International Journal of Qualitative Methods
| Title | Artwork from women participants in the project |
| Description | We delivered art workshops in each prison to contribute to the project. The art work was made by the women in prison to understand their experiences and feelings towards food in prison. The art work was then displayed in the exhibition curated by Koestler Arts. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | One of the key impact factors has been response from the public about the exhibition. Testimonies included: "An inspiration to women around the world. Proving that art and creativity has no limits, even when life is not so ideal. Stay stars girls" "So colourful, creative, different. Cheered me up a lot seeing all your work. Gives out lots of positivity." "All the artwork is absolutely awesome and inspiring." "Very creative and interesting. Makes me feel happy." "All the artists put in so much effort - showing talent and humour. The entire exhibition is fantastic, well done girls, hope it was therapeutic for you" "Thank you - wonderful exhibition which produces lots of thoughts. Congratulations to the exhibitors" In this, many of the women who participated in the art workshops spoke about feeling inspired to further develop their art skills and to be able to use the equipment provided to produce further artwork. |
| Description | We have collated all of our findings. We have interviewed 80 women across four womens prisons and this has been complemented with observations, art workshops, diaries and focus groups. Many of the conversations that stemmed around this project have been about space, agency, social identities, food control, inequalities, and food morality. Social Control We have identified that food is a mechanism of social control in prisons. Many women spoke about the ideas that the quality of food is an extension of their punishment. Many of the women were unable to have a lot of choice about what they were eating due to the tight food budget that prisons operate under and there was limited choice on what was provided during mealtimes. meals that were restrictive. Many have also found that the food is given at times that are not reflective of mealtimes on the outside; for example, breakfast is served at nighttime and lunch is at 11am and then dinner is at 4.30pm. Also, many have spoken about the injustices of the quantity of food, which is inconsistent and often based on where the food is served and by whom. There was a feeling that the women were being infantilized by not being able to cook for themselves, which left them dependent on others. The second theme is on 'food control' and we felt it is important to divide this into two areas. Firstly, we identified that food control is linked to the wider prison system. Food has been used to assert power over women by those with authority i.e. prison staff. There were examples shared by women regarding the lack of choice when it came to the lunch/dinner menu. Many spoke about the lack of cultural awareness from staff in relation to diversifying meals that would reflect the varied backgrounds of the wider prison population. Women shared concerns that menus which were considered culturally diverse were, in fact, tokenistic, inconsistent, and only used for certain celebratory months i.e., Black History Month. Interestingly, in this theme, women also shared examples of taking back control by what they prepare and eat. There were many examples of women narrating creative ways of cooking and in this, cooking together with others. Both aspects also overlap with issues around social identities and spaces to eat. Due to the excessive levels of social control, we found women were in conflict with one another - there was an informal hierarchy set up where women would judge others on the level of hygiene and expose women who were working in the kitchen if they were seen as dirty or handing out larger quantities of food to their mates - and this was vocalised a lot. Space We have also delved into the experiences of eating food in the different spaces of the prison. Many women felt a sense of freedom when cooking in their cells and on the landings with others. Due to buying extra food from the weekly 'canteen', many of the women came up with their own recipes that were related to home life, i.e. making curry in their kettles. In this, many of the women identified that cooking/eating together in communal areas was an important aspect of building social relationships. In this, every prison had distinct spaces that were different from the other, with some prisons having self-catering facilities or an inbuilt restaurant where women were able to develop hospitality skills. Each space that was designated for food had a purpose - and it was often to develop women's experiences. For example, some spaces provided opportunities for women to work or to be educated, or in a space like PIPE (which is a therapeutic unit for women who have addictions) to be supported by programmes that are tailored to develop independent living skills around prepping and consuming food. Social identities There were also conversations about food and social identities. Many spoke about using food to embrace their cultural identities; however, others felt that the prison was quite tokenistic, and that food was only celebrated in months like Black History Month but was otherwise inconsistent across the year. However, many women found opportunities to embrace their religious/cultural needs by cooking in their cells and purchasing food off the canteen. Many of the women also spoke about their identities by reflecting on memories before imprisonment, which provided insight in terms of the value and absence of food, and their attitudes towards food when they entered prison. Food inequalities We identified that food inequalities contributed to the experiences of women both before and during their time in prison. Many of the women spoke about food inequalities in relation to the affordability, costs, and access to 'quality food'. There were several examples of women speaking about the types of food that was consumed growing up with their families. There were so many variations when it came to the backgrounds of women. Some spoke about the values instilled when making nutritious foods with the emphasis of using fruit and vegetables, while others had voiced some of disadvantages of not accessing certain types of foods or being unable to eat together with their families. This significantly impacted on the way women viewed the food in the prison settings. Regarding the prison, an example of food inequalities could link to the types of food women could afford from the canteen, in which, can be determined by the amount of money transferred to the women from families or friends. Food Morality Food morality was based around questions regarding the integrity of the production of food in prison. Many women shared concerns about the discrepancies between what is being produced and what food they are able to access. This came up in different areas in the prison where women worked including the gardens. There were further conversations about portion sizes as well as food being fit for human consumption (or not). Healthy identities Lastly, many of the women shared feelings about needing to be healthier or to maintain a healthy lifestyle in prison. Many spoke about being conscientious about the types of food consumed. We also noted that some of the women actively changed their diets/lifestyle in prison as a way of improving their feelings about themselves, moving away from the identity they associated with themselves to pre-prison. There were also conversations about the relationship between food and mental health, with women who had faced traumatic experiences prior to incarceration finding that these had impacted on their attitudes to food. Some of the women divulged issues around anorexia and bulimia, and some spoke about the fact they were victims of domestic abuse which led to worries about the prison tampering with their food. |
| Exploitation Route | We are currently working with the governors and third sector organisations to work on improving the quality of food in women's prisons. We have delivered a range of workshops with prison staff and governors and are now working with charity organisations like PACT and Food Behind Bars to find practical and feasible recommendations in the prison and the prison visiting room. |
| Sectors | Government Democracy and Justice |
| Description | We have been working with non academic audiences like charity organisations and the media to raise awareness about the issues related to the quality of food. We have released an article in The Conversation and will be continuing to work with the media comms at the University to share our findings with other newspapers. We are currently working with the governors and prison staff on identifying recommendations, designing a toolkit and to find other ways like building a information hub to bridge academic research and practice together. |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | Prison Staff Workshops |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | Toolkit |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | We are working with HMPPS to use our toolkit to help frame our practice |
| Description | Koestler Arts |
| Organisation | Koestler Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We have worked with Koestler Arts to facilitate in organising an exhibition. We will contribute to this partnership by submitting women's artwork who participated in our art workshop that was a part of the overall project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Koestler Arts will organise an exhibition of prisoners' art to promote a wider interest in food in prison. The exhibition in 2023 will be open to the public, and those unable to attend will be able to view it via a 'virtual tour' or film of the exhibition uploaded onto the project website. In addition, Koestler Arts have set 'Taste' as the topic for their themed category within the 2022 Koestler Awards, leading to ongoing impact from the research. The annual Koestler Awards are open to entrants within the UK criminal justice system. |
| Impact | We have now completed the art exhibition that ran in January 2023. This exhibition provided a range of artworks that were created by the women from the art workshop carried out during the project. The title of the art exhibition was called 'On my Plate' which exhibited a mixture of pieces entered into the annual Koestler Awards for arts in criminal justice and artistic outcomes from the Doing Porridge project. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Blogs, Podcasts, website and social media posts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We have had over 100 views for our website on the project. We regularly post on Instagram and Twitter about updates on our project. These are always positively received with retweets and likes. We also organise podcasts with a number of speakers from voluntary organisations to those who were released from prison. We publicise this on the project's social media and the website. This is well received with views ranging from 60 to 100. The PI has also been invited on BBC radio Surrey to discuss the art exhibition which launched at Southhill, Bracknell. We were published in the Big Society-cultural- section this article also publicized the art exhibition. We have also been working on a range of seminars to disseminate our findings to charities and the prison. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023 |
| URL | https://doingporridge.com/doing-porridge-podcast/ |
| Description | Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We planned a conference on our findings at The Barbican. This was presented a range of audiences and there was around 60 people who attended. The attendance included academics, practitioners, prison staff, and third sector organisations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | News article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a newsarticle in The Conversation on the art exhibition. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/prison-food-what-we-learned-from-organising-food-themed-art-workshops-fo... |
| Description | Seminar with the governors and catering managers across the women's prison estate |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We presented our findings to all of the governors for the women's prison estate and all of the catering managers across the women's estate. This was to share our findings and to consult with them on how we can inform practice. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Workshops with the prisons and partnership with Food Behind Bars |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We have been holding workshops in each of the prisons we have conducted research in to share our findings and to identify practical changes in partnership with a charity called Food Behind Bars. We have used our findings to design with FBB ways we can improve each of the prisons quality of food. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |