Collateral Consequences: Examining the Impact of Incarceration on Food Insecurity

Please join the HLS Mississippi Delta Project for our annual Delta Celebration. We’ll be joined by Dr. Kecia Johnson, Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University and Co-Director of the Mississippi Food Insecurity Project. Lunch served!

Dr. Johnson’s presentation will provide a conceptual framework for understanding how individuals with a felony drug conviction may be at a greater risk of being food insecure due to lifetime restrictions or modified bans from receiving food assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The lack of these benefits limits access to adequate nutrition because SNAP provides a safety net for the formerly incarcerated. The SNAP benefit ban may result in drug felons and their families experiencing food insecurity, however this ban does not affect those convicted of violent offenses. The policy implications of this legislation, the recent decision of the state of Mississippi to opt out of enforcing the lifetime ban, and its impact on the reintegration of those with drug felonies into the community will be discussed.