The Carceral Food System Summit brought together activists, scholars, community practitioners, and students working within food justice and prisoner justice spaces to share, connect and learn the various ways in which food systems and carceral systems interconnect, and how we can work collectively to imagine and construct abolitionist futures through food.
Over the course of two days we heard from a range of actors discussing the contemporary state of prisons in Canada, campaigns against carceral expansion and how food can be a lens and tool of liberation. The objective was not to debate perspectives or develop a common set of recommendations, but rather to deepen our understanding, foster collaboration and cross-pollination, in hopes that stronger networks of allyship and solidarity will emerge to advance struggles for both prisoner justice and food justice.
In this report-back we provide a synthesis of the presentations and discussions in order to continue the dialogue and share the insights with the wider community. Presenters were given an opportunity to review its contents before publication. You’ll note some differences in language and terminology throughout, as we have tried to respect the wording used by different groups and individuals.
This event would not have been possible without the invaluable contributions of the speakers and presenters, as well as the project support team: Patricia Jean-Vezina, Julie Courchesne and Tarran Maharaj. We’d also like to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) as well as Saint Paul University for their financial support of this event.
Download a copy of the report here.