Based on the lived experiences of incarcerated persons and staff, this book explores the symbolic significance of prison foodways to normalization, autonomy, identity construction, power, group formation and security. The book also traces the rationalization(s) that policy makers attach to prison food, from the water and bread diet of the 18th century, the contested abolition of alcohol consumption, to the current fear surrounding the spread of COVID-19 through food distribution in prisons. The argument is developed that prison food policies have always reflected how Belgian governments have treated imprisoned persons. The emphasis on Belgian prisons and the discussions on prison foodways situated on a micro and macro level add a unique flavour to prison food scholarship by providing a deeper understanding of a penal culture outside the dominant tradition of Anglo-Saxon and Nordic studies. Consequently, the book provides a nuanced conception of prison foodways for penologists, sociologists, those with interests in wider prison policy, and those working on the socio-cultural role of food in closed environments.

An-Sofie Vanhouche holds a PhD in Criminology and is Assistant Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Department of Criminology and research group Crime & Society, Belgium. She teaches several courses on penology to undergraduates and imprisoned learners. Her research interests lie in the lived experience of imprisonment, prison foodways, and comparative penology.

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Part 1: The Symbolic Role of Food 1: Introduction and Literature Overview2: On Water and Bread: A Historical Overview of the Symbolic Role of Prison Food in Belgium Part 2: Belgian Prison Foodways: Present Day Policies and Experiences 3: Belgian Prisons and its Foodways 4: Normalization and Identity Construction Through Food 5: Cooking in Prison & Prisoners' Feelings of Security Part 3: A Discussion of the Results 6: Self-Catering. International Examples and New Developments in Belgium 7: Conclusion