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Prison Commissary and You: How the Free World Fattens Greedy Pockets At Your Expense.

My name is Jayel. I am a disabled non-binary person of color that was placed in a privately run state prison for males in Northern Florida. I want to take some time to illustrate to the free world a pain point that draws money from the free world (that is, those of you who are not incarcerated) into a multi-billion dollar maw known as the Florida State Prison Complex.

The Financial Set-up:

Florida state prisoners generally do not get paid wages at all in Florida prisons unless they get assigned to a special kind of prison camp known as a PRIDE/PIE camp, or get assigned as a canteen operator in most other camps throughout the state.

As note, I'm excluding people on Work Release from this, as these are people who are working on re-entry to society, and have free world employment (along with a lot of stipulations that effectively take all of their cash from them), and excluding Federal prisoners, because they earn at least a few cents on their books through working.

This means that for the majority of the 80,000+ inmates in state prison, our 'income' is your income. Whatever you can spare from your paycheck, your pension, your Social Security check, your investments is what we live on. It's how we afford these Gas Station+ prices to get the ultra-processed poisons that we may be forced to eat as substitutes for real food.

That same money is used to seek medical care at $5 per visit, or to acquire entertainment via the tablets currently provided by Securus, or to send messages to our loved ones at 39¢ for 6,000 characters.

The Pitch:

I went to the canteen window today (05 October 2024) to resupply on peanut butter (my general go-to item that substitutes for meals), to have a couple of treats, as well as ensuring I have a rescue meal on hand if my blood glucose level bottoms out because of the failures of Trinity Services Group and/or the Management and Training Corporation to ensure diabetics are fed in a timely manner after receiving insulin.

Aside from learning that a daily multivitamin will no longer be carried (a critical problem for those of us who are vegetarians or vegans in prison), I discovered these prices directly:

Squeez-Ums Peanut Butter, 2 oz (57g):

  • Was 77¢.
  • Now 85¢.

Diet Coke, 12 fl. oz. (355ml):

  • Was $1.25+7.5% sales tax ($1.34).
  • Now $1.37+7.5% sales tax ($1.47).

Plain Bagel, 4 oz. (113g):

  • Was $1.05.
  • Now $1.16.

Donut Stix, 1.7 oz (48g):

  • Was 75¢.
  • Now $1.05. ⚠️

    Note that in a 16+ month period, these have increased from ~55¢ each to this mark. If the previously known contractual obligation of a +10% maximum increase per year were observed, this current price could not be reached within the duration of time I've been here. They'd be at 66.5¢ each, following the same curve.

Baby powder (for my shoes):

  • $2.59+7.5% sales tax ($2.78) is what I paid for 4 oz. (113g).

I also asked prices from others for items I either cannot buy, or do not consider worth my already limited purchasing power, and was informed that Maruchan Ramen is now $1.17 per pack, up from $1.06 (a 10.377% increase). That same pack of ramen in Illinois prisons is under 50¢, for comparison.

You are taxed coming and going.

Florida already spends $3.3 billion of its money yearly to house over 80,000 individuals of varying custodies, durations, and needs. The average number I landed on for 82,500 inmates is $40,000 yearly per head.

So:
Each time a Florida property owner is levied taxes...
Any time a visitor or resident shops anywhere in the state and pays tax...
If someone online from anywhere buys from a store who is subject to Florida law, and they charge tax...

Some of that cash is taken and funneled into the great maw of Prison Funding here.

And yet, Keefe Commissary Network reaps massive financial benefit.

That sentence up there is used for full effect. The pricing set for us is supposed to be comparable to fueling center (that is, gas station) pricing for single serve items. Of note, these are items that come in boxes of 48, 60, 96, or more, bought by the pallet load. These are items acquired with the discounts that come with scalar pricing.

These price savings aren't passed on to us -- instead, we are gouged painfully, and in turn, you who help us to even survive here receive deep, painful wounds in your budgets and your hearts as you hear our pricing grow worse.

We are fed poisons, and bleed from the wallets greatly to do so.

I must point out, incidentally, that Florida prisoners pay some of the highest commissary prices in the nation, and it's actively worse in the private prisons which have a separate contract from the DOC-operated facilities.

I've heard that State facilities have had relief on their prices, but for my "fenced community" of 1,800+ people, the thumbscrews are being turned down even more.

What Actions Can We Take?

I'm glad you're here to ask.

Tune in to organizations like Florida Cares, who offer advocacy and aid behind the wires, to learn more on how to help out there.

Spread the word where you can to cast a spotlight on the prisons of here and now, showing people the parasitic add-on effects enabled by the Florida Department of Corrections by failing to regulate prices in a fair manner.

Send FOIA requests to get and learn the truth in contracting, share the information with the world.

For those who can vote: Do your research for every seat, every position that needs a vote: you are our voices on the outside, for we are silenced inside.

And, most importantly, remember us, write us, encourage us, and never, never, never ever, never, ever ever say die. :)

Author comment:
"Yes, please share, repost, whatever you call it outside these days! People need to understand that the parasite is the system, not the incarcerated fed to it."