Documents such as the Manual of Good Prison Practices of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights (IIDH), the WHO Guide to the essential elements in prison health and the declaration on prison conditions and the transmission of tuberculosis and other communicable diseases establish the standards , processes and procedures in the penitentiary centers of the countries that abide by these precepts. These describe that persons deprived of liberty have the right to receive food that responds, in quantity, quality and hygiene conditions to adequate and sufficient nutrition; that takes into consideration cultural and religious issues, as well as special needs or diets determined by medical criteria. In addition, they stipulate regular feeding schedules, offer approximations of quality and sufficient caloric and protein content, as well as the prohibition of suspending or limiting said feeding as a disciplinary measure. Failure to comply with these basic requirements could constitute a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, or even a display of torture.

 

Prisons are not only a physical space for penalization, they are the place of residence, experience and coexistence of persons deprived of liberty. These people, when sanctioned, lose their freedom, but not their rights as human beings. Therefore, an incarcerated person must receive dignified treatment while serving their sentence. In this period, food plays a fundamental role.  In prison systems, people are fed by the institution, so it falls on the institution to duly supply the supplies, since the State He is responsible for feeding those in his custody. Attention to persons deprived of liberty should be an important point in the administration of countries like Cuba if one takes into account that, with an estimated prison population of 90,000 individuals at the beginning of 2020, to which should be added around 890 more , detained after the demonstrations of 11J, the island is positioned among the countries with the highest rate of people imprisoned according to its population index. 

 

Despite this high amount, there are important structural problems to consider in the right to food that should be ensured by the provisions of the National Directorate of Jails and Prisons of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT). First, in Cuba, prison law is a practically non-existent field. Although in other societies the institutions provide information on diets, nutrition and other food aspects of the prison population, and where the inmates of their centers may have channels to process their demands, this is quite different in countries with prison structures that are very deteriorated in structure. and legislation, where inmates have no vote or choice. Then there are problems that limit the guarantees of food safety: physical infrastructure, shortages, ignorance of ethics and food rights, biases such as prejudices and actions of instruction, as well as the normalization of lack of hygiene due to poor access to food. water and ventilation are some unresolved aspects.

 

In these circumstances, it is also worth considering distinctive groups in the population deprived of liberty due to their condition of vulnerability. Of the nearly 1,500 accused after 9/11, it is estimated that a third are under 25 years of age, 28 of them aged 18 or less are in custody. These people are in full development, indicating the need to guarantee a diet adapted to their specific needs. Likewise, pregnant or lactating women in detention must be able to meet their specific nutritional needs, and receive an adequate diet, with a high protein content and rich in fruits and vegetables. They should also have access to free guidance from qualified health personnel. 

 

In the following group of interviews, the Food Monitor Program (FMP) inquired about the feeding conditions of people deprived of liberty in Cuba, following some testimonies.

 

Note: The Food Monitor Program has changed the identity of the respondents in accordance with its data protection policy.