Serving time: an exploration of the "Invisible Walls" of rehabilitation
This chapter reports on findings from an ethnography of The Clink restaurant in Cardiff, Wales. This is no ordinary restaurant; it is a rehabilitative programme for serving prisoners. Based on a year's observations of participants and interviews, this chapter provides a close observational acco...
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
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2026
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| In: |
The role of food in resettlement and rehabilitation
Year: 2026, Pages: 80-96 |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Summary: | This chapter reports on findings from an ethnography of The Clink restaurant in Cardiff, Wales. This is no ordinary restaurant; it is a rehabilitative programme for serving prisoners. Based on a year's observations of participants and interviews, this chapter provides a close observational account of what life is actually like for the prisoners undertaking this innovative work-based rehabilitative programme. The chapter looks at the role that food can play in relieving some of the pains of imprisonment and helping to facilitate change. Food, for example, was one of the main reasons given by the prisoners for deciding to participate in the programme. The men all spoke of how they were enticed by the “cooked breakfast” and “free chicken” and the offer of an alternative to prison food. Being able to cook food for family members was also appreciated by the men taking part. This opportunity not only encouraged family contact, supporting resettlement, but also helped to increase the men's self-worth and confidence. This chapter, therefore, demonstrates how The Clink Cardiff was able to enhance human capital (employability and practical skills) but also improve and strengthen social capital (personal change, family reciprocities, etc.). However, this chapter also looks at how The Clink Cardiff was not always easy for the prisoners participating in the programme. It examines challenges associated with modern deprivations of prison life, but also those associated with the programme itself. For example, whilst The Clink Cardiff is part of a larger national scheme, including a number of prison restaurants operating across the prison estate, uniquely, The Clink Cardiff is located outside the prison walls. This chapter demonstrates how the “invisible walls” of The Clink Cardiff meant that the men working there had to constantly negotiate between being “outside” whilst still inside, and the effect that this had on the success of the programme. |
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| Item Description: | Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 94-96 |
| ISBN: | 9781032448497 |
