Abstract
Food has always had a great importance in human beings’ lives, it is a primary element since it feeds our body and soul and enables us to unfold the basic actions of everyday life. It can give dignity or take it away depending on its “use”, it is no coincidence that one of the most dreadful types of torture is forced deprivation of food, that’s why food is inherently linked to human rights. The importance of food and nutrition, analyzed under a sociological point of view, began to develop a few decades ago (around 1970’s), before that it was an anthropological matter and for this reason it was mainly studied by scholars of that sector of research. If food is so significant for free people, imagine what importance it must have when referring to individuals deprived of personal liberty, sometimes for a specific period of time, some others for the rest of their lives. The present case-study discusses the issue of prison food and aims to lay the initial groundwork for understanding whether, in the long run, healthier and better nutrition in terms of quality and quantity can actually improve the reeducation and re-socialization processes of prisoners. The research has been conducted in three Italian prisons using a qualitative and quantitative research method of analysis through in-person and structured interviews and surveys to a sample of 150 inmates who have voluntarily decided to participate at this survey.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Civic, Political, and Community Studies
KEYWORDS
FOOD, PRISON, HUMAN RIGHTS, RE-EDUCATION, COMMUNITY
