The food environment within juvenile justice facilities is of particular importance for the health of incarcerated youth, during incarceration and over the course of their lifetime. Yet, little is known about the food and beverage environment in these facilities.

This is significant as researchers and advocates have drawn attention to the contribution of mass incarceration to racial health disparities in the United States and improving the food available in juvenile justice settings may have health equity implications.

We are pleased to share two new research briefs on the food environments in juvenile justice facilities:

• Leveraging Juvenile Justice Food Environments to Advance Health Equity describes the four main components of juvenile justice food environments, and the policies and regulations that shape them at the federal, state and local levels. The study was conducted by researchers at ChangeLab Solutions, with support from Healthy Eating Research.
  
  

• The Food Environment in Juvenile Justice Residential Facilities in North Carolina provides an initial analysis of the food environment in a diverse sample of juvenile justice residential facilities in North Carolina. The study was conducted by researchers at RTI International, with support from Healthy Eating Research.

These studies are a first step to learning how juvenile justice facilities' food and beverage offerings can promote or hinder youth nutrition, health and wellness.