Carceral Nutrition Community of Practice

Carceral Nutrition
Community of Practice

A cross-sector network advancing nutrition research, policy, standards, and practices to promote health and dignity across U.S. carceral systems.

Join the Community

Purpose

Why This Community Exists

Nutrition in carceral settings is chronically under-resourced, under-researched, and underrepresented in broader public health and policy conversations.

The CN CoP brings together practitioners, researchers, advocates, and government professionals who often work in isolation — to build shared knowledge, foster peer-to-peer exchange, share good practices, and elevate the quality and equity of food and nutrition throughout carceral systems.

This group breaks down barriers created by decentralized federal, state, local, tribal, and youth detention systems.

People in carceral settings deserve nutrition care that reflects their dignity — not the lowest defensible standard.

Scope

What We Cover

The CN CoP spans the full landscape of carceral nutrition — from the meal tray to the regulatory framework, and from local jails to federal facilities.

01 Food and nutrition access and quality across jails, prisons, and other detention facilities
02 Federal, state, and local carceral system standards and policy
03 Both practice and policy — from tray composition to regulatory frameworks
04 Evidence generation and research translation
05 Systemic and structural drivers of poor nutrition and health outcomes in carceral contexts

Working Groups

How We Organize Our Work

Standards & Policy

Tracking and influencing nutrition-related policies and standards at federal, state, and local levels across carceral systems.

Research

Identifying gaps in the evidence base, coordinating research efforts, and connecting practitioners with researchers to generate actionable findings.

Government Agencies

Building relationships among government bodies that oversee, fund, or regulate carceral nutrition at every level.

Community

Who We Are & How We Work

Who We Are

Advocates & policy professionals
Government agency staff (corrections & public health)
Food systems & community organizations
Registered dietitians & nutrition professionals
Public health researchers & academics
Formerly incarcerated people & reentry advocates

How We Work

We are a peer-driven network. We convene quarterly as a full community, organize deeper work through working groups, and stay connected via a dedicated listserv for resource sharing and ongoing discussion.

Our Values

Centering dignity of incarcerated people
Evidence-informed practice & policy
Peer exchange over top-down programming
Cross-sector and cross-regional collaboration
Nutrition as a right, not a privilege

Get Involved

Join the CN CoP Community

Connect with peers, share resources, and stay informed on developments across the field. The CoP is open to all professionals working at the intersection of nutrition and carceral systems.

Questions? Reach out to Daniel Rosen or Amelia Keleher.