For all of us eating a balanced diet is important for maintaining good health and wellbeing; it is also one of the great social pleasures of life. However, far too many people in prisons and places of detention are consuming a poor diet. Poor nutrition has the potential to impact concentration and learning—it can also result in episodes of violent or aggressive behaviour. In prison, a deficient diet may contribute to increased rates of poor mental and physical health when compared with the general population.
Prisoners are provided with three meals a day, usually breakfast, lunch and dinner. They should have access to drinking water at all times as well as being provided with the facilities to prepare a minimum of four hot drinks a day (Prison Reform Trust, 2018). The Prison Rules 1999 governs how prisons are run. Prison Rule 24 decrees that the food (including drink) provided to prisoners should be wholesome, nutritious, well prepared and served, reasonably varied and sufficient in quantity, and food has to be inspected by a suitably competent person.
The provision of high-quality nutrition should never be underestimated in any setting and this would include in those places of detention. It has the ability to impact positively on self-esteem, health, learning and development. Providing a nutritious diet is important in improving the emotional health and wellbeing of those incarcerated. Consuming highly processed and sugary foods could result in sudden peaks and troughs in the amount of glucose in an individual's blood, as well as affecting oral health. This may result in fatigue, irritability, dizziness, insomnia and may also be a risk factor for depression. Ljungberg et al (2020) noted that diet is associated with depressive symptoms or depression and La Chance and Ramsey (2018) provided a nutrient profiling system for depression, suggesting that a diet of whole foods can offer protection against depression. Dietary improvement may provide an effective and accessible treatment strategy for the management of depression with the benefits extending to the management of common comorbidities (Jacka et al, 2017).
Deficiencies in vitamins and minerals can lead to a number of issues. Low levels of iron, magnesium and zinc can result in increased anxiety, low mood and poor concentration, this in turn leads to attention deficits and sleep disturbance. The problems associated with a poor diet, for example, aggression, attention deficits and hyperactivity, can increase impulsive behaviour; high levels of impulsivity are related to high and stable levels of offending.
It is acknowledged that people's diet in prison is constrained by a number of factors bringing with them difficulties in improving the diet of offenders. Providing a balanced diet is costly and it has been reported that some prison establishments struggle to provide meals of a reasonable quantity and quality. An assessment needs to be undertaken to determine whether the daily food budget can provide a balanced diet along with a review of food standards in prison. The standards set must be consistently implemented across the prison estate.
The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an increased interest in the role of nutrition and health, particularly in supporting immunity. Nurses have always been cognisant of nutrition and nutritional needs, this is nothing new to them. Those in prison need healthy foods to choose from if they are to stay healthy during their period of detention. Prisons and places of detention need to meet the basic needs of people in prison and respect the basic human right of adequate nutrition. Nurses and other public health professionals whose work involves the care of prisoners and detainees should be supporting and motivating healthy eating habits.