Captive Consumers

In Captive Consumers (The University of North Carolina Press), Jou, an associate professor of history and medical humanities at Rice University, tackles food inside America’s prisons. Using historical records, prison newspapers, and more, she exposes the ways food is used as a tool to mistreat incarcerated individuals. Chronic hunger, foodborne illness outbreaks, and ignoring people’s dietary restrictions are just a few examples. Jou argues that a call to action is needed to correct these issues, and she highlights examples of incarcerated individuals who have reimagined prison meals to offer better and healthier alternatives.