Sentencing Law and Policy

If eating more ice cream can help reform the criminal justice system... count me in!

The cheeky title of this post is my first reaction to this new story at The Root headlined "Ben & Jerry’s Takes on Criminal Justice Reform with New Flavor, Justice Remix’d."  Here are the yummy particulars:

In a world in which the trappings of allyship have devolved into Instagram likes or tawdry photo ops, premium ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s has quietly ignored fanfare in favor of doing the actual work.  It’s not uncommon to find posts admonishing the criminal justice system or systemic racism on their website, and since May 2018 they’ve spent over a million dollars on Facebook ads denouncing mass incarceration, advocating for mental health funding and demanding criminal justice reform. And according to the revered ice cream manufacturer, they’re just getting started.

On Tuesday, they partnered with Color of Change and the Advancement Project to unveil their latest flavor, Justice Remix’d, as part of their three-year initiative “to address the destructive cycle of mass incarceration in our country,” according to a statement from Ben & Jerry’s.

Prior to this unveiling, The Root spoke with Jabari Paul, the company’s assistant U.S. activism manager, who explained B&J’s mission further.  “Justice Remix’d is our fan-facing advocacy campaign that focuses on front-end criminal justice reform,” Paul told The Root. “Front-end meaning how do you divert and deflect people from going into the incarceration system in the first place? Many of which have no legitimate reason for being there.”

Paul added, “On a national level, we’ve really focused on three issues: ending money bail, stopping unnecessary prosecutions and disrupting the school to prison pipeline.”  In doing so, Ben & Jerry’s became partners in Color of Change’s Winning Justice campaign, which seeks to transform the criminal justice system by championing reform-minded prosecutors for election. But the company has a local strategy as well, which includes the involvement of the Advancement Project to work towards shutting down jails like Workhouse in St. Louis....

Criminal justice reform is long overdue, and with the arrival of Justice Remix’d, Ben & Jerry’s seeks to be a part of the solution instead of resting on their laurels. “The reason that we believe in social impact is because social impact goes beyond this idea of corporate giving. It’s about really influencing fan behavior,” Paul said. “Our goal is to drive them to increase awareness around the issues that we care about, like criminal justice reform, drive engagement, engage them around those issues and then ultimately inspire them to take action.”

Notably, this Ben & Jerry's page discussing the flavor and the cause it supports starts and ends with details that almost make me want to believe I could and should give up blogging in order to eat more ice cream:

We are flipping our lids over our newest flavor!  Meet Justice ReMix’d, a new flavor featuring cinnamon and chocolate ice creams, gobs of cinnamon bun dough, and spicy fudge brownies.  And the best part?  Justice ReMix’d also has a sweet swirl of justice under the lid....

Ready to dig in to the hard work of making criminal justice reform a reality? Start by grabbing a spoon and a pint of Justice ReMix’d!

Should a MasterChef episode include a nutraloaf/prison cooking challenge?

The question in the title of this post is prompted by this local article headlined "The best prison food you've ever/never tasted."   Because I aspire to be a foodie and love watching MasterChef, and especially because I am study prison history and the subjective experiences of incarceration, I wish I could experience the notable event reported the piece.  Here is what I am missing:

The old movies refer to unruly inmates' being fed a diet of bread and water as punishment.  Nowadays, they're served something called nutraloaf.  Nutraloaf recipes vary among the states.  Usually having the consistency of a dry muffin, the dish contains elements of the basic food groups — most notably grains and beans. Consumed with water, it will keep a person alive.

Maybe so, but "it's absolutely horrible," said Chris, a worker at Eastern State Penitentiary, the historical attraction in Fairmount.  "But then again, state [prison] food is absolutely horrible."  Chris speaks from experience.  He spent 2½ years at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford after what he described as a conviction for a nonviolent drug-related offense.  He was released last year.  Chris — who asked that his last name not be used — now works at the prison.

This weekend (June 6 and 7) for Eastern State's annual Prison Food Weekend, a caterer will make the nutraloafs served in state prisons in Idaho (the breakfast version), California, Illinois (the vegan option), Vermont, and Pennsylvania.  Visitors will get a review card, and organizers will encourage them to rank and describe the look, smell, and taste of each.

Pennsylvania's has cooked rice, dry oatmeal and mashed garbanzo beans. It's simply bland.  The Illinois version contains applesauce, tomato paste, and garlic powder. So nasty, inmates at one prison sued (unsuccessfully) to get it off the menu. 

The Eastern State visitors can counter the sampling with Chris' chi chi.  Chi chi is a casserole-like dish made on the sly entirely of ingredients bought from the prison commissary or vending machines. Ingredients are blended in a plastic bag, which is cooked in boiling water.  Boiling water in a prison cell?  "You make a stinger," Chris said, describing a crude immersion heater made from the end of an extension cord wrapped around nail clippers.

When you're locked up, food is even more comforting, Chris said. "I'm Italian," he said. "Sunday night is home cooking."  Chris said new inmates can expect the older guys to treat them to a home-cooked meal.  "Your first two weeks, you won't be eating much" from the cafeteria, Chris said. "You have to be starving to want to eat that."

Chi chi is as unique as the individual making it.  Some are as simple as cold tuna and mayo.  Others, such as one that Chris made earlier this week at the prison for a demo, contain packaged ramen noodles, cheese curls, summer sausage, pepperoni, barbecue sauce, honey, pickles, chili powder, and meatless chili.  The result — utter deliciousness the ramen was softened by the chili, barbecue sauce and honey.  The cheese curls provided a hint of crunch.  The pepperoni and sausage gave it texture.

And if there was enough sodium in a few bites to choke a mule?  "Sodium is the least of your concerns," said Chris, with a small smile.