Much attention has been given to food justice in both academic and activist communities as of late. This project adds to the growing discourse around food justice by using creative works produced by members of the black community as case studies to analyze the relationship between food justice and the criminal justice system in their neighborhoods. In particular, this project examines two unique sources of creative expression from the black community. The first is the novel Been ‘Bout Dat, the story of a young boy Fattz, who is born into the projects of New Orleans and takes to street life in order to provide for his siblings and struggling single mother. Written in prison by Johnny Davis it offers a valuable perspective that is combined with historical context and statistical support to construct an understanding of how concepts of food and criminal justice influence each other. The second source is the lyrical content of several hip-hop songs from rappers such as Tupac Shakur, Mos Def, Nas, and Young Jeezy. Comparing the content of these works and the lived realities expressed in both brings new and useful insights about food justice and criminal justice as experienced in poor minority communities. Recognizing this relationship may illuminate solutions to food justice issues through criminal justice reform as well as inform fresh efforts at community renewal.
This thesis attempts to determine how the food system can contribute to delinquency and criminality, especially in regards to diet and nutritional influences on children’s behavior. The research for this thesis began with the book, Diet, Crime and Delinquency, written Alexander Schauss and published in 1980. This was the first book exploring how food can impact behavior in children and includes various areas of diet and nutrition which can influence children’s behavior and how they may contribute to delinquency. The literature since has identified four main areas of diet and nutrition that have the most evidence regarding their effects on behavior and contributions as risk factors for delinquency. These four contributors to behavioral changes in some children are: sugar/hypoglycemia, food allergies/ intolerances, nutrient/vitamin deficiencies, and exposure to heavy metals. Diet and nutrition are also significantly impacted by the environment, therefore this paper accounts for environmental factors and discusses how food justice is inextricably linked to the criminal justice system. This paper also evaluates correctional gardens in youth detention facilities as well as individualized and family based interventions within schools as possible strategies for addressing behavioral issues and risk factors for delinquency through food. New approaches such as those that involve diet and nutrition can help to explain why individuals within the same environment with the same risk factors may engage or desist from criminal activity. This line of inquiry could further develop an answer to the age-old question in the field of criminology, why do people commit crime or engage in delinquent behavior?