Fresh Food and Shared Meals: Exploring Food, Community and Wellbeing in a Unique Prison Unit

This project examines how access to fresh food and shared meals influences the daily lives and wellbeing of incarcerated individuals. The research draws on interviews conducted through the Scandinavian Prison Project, focusing on a unique “Little Scandinavia” unit where residents and staff alike have access to a full kitchen and can order fresh groceries. Undergraduate students will assist with cleaning AI-generated transcripts and conducting thematic coding of interview data. Topics include how decisions around food are made, social dining preferences and experiences, perceptions of health, and whether fresh food access fosters community and alters the incarceration experience.

Grounded in a broader context, this project addresses critical questions about food justice, health equity, and community building within carceral environments. Food is a fundamental human need, yet its role in shaping social relationships and wellbeing in prisons is often overlooked or taken for granted. By exploring how shared meals and fresh food access impact incarcerated individuals, this research contributes to ongoing conversations about humane correctional practices and the potential for policy innovations that promote dignity and rehabilitation. The findings have implications for criminal justice reform, public health, and the design of correctional environments that prioritize human autonomy and dignity. 

• Produce a cleaned and organized dataset of interview transcripts imported into NVivo for qualitative analysis.
• Contribute to thematic coding of interviews on topics such as food choices, shared meals, health perceptions, and community building through food in the prison setting.
• Co-develop a research poster or presentation for a professional conference (e.g., American Society of Criminology), to showcasing findings and methodological insights.
• Gain technical proficiency in NVivo, qualitative research methods, and ethical handling of sensitive data.
• Complete the ELN Digital Badge, reflecting on skills learned and professional growth. 

• Complete CITI certification for ethical research with human subjects.
• Receive an introduction to the Scandinavian Prison Project and its goals, including readings on prison reform and food justice.

2. Technical Skill Development

• Training in qualitative research methods and potentially learning how to use NVivo software for transcript management and coding.
• Practice exercises using sample transcripts to build confidence before working with sensitive data.

3. Contextual Understanding

• Participate in discussions about incarceration, food access, and community building to situate the research within broader social and policy contexts.
• Review literature on food and wellbeing in correctional environments to understand the significance of the project. 

prison, food justice, incarceration, prison reform, sociology, criminology