Commissary

Prison commissaries help ease some of the deprivations of imprisonment, by allowing inmates with sufficient funds to buy products from a fairly broad range of items. They stock food and other goods. Items include shoes, radios, food, stamps, photocopy and phone credits, and, in some institutions, over-the-counter medication such as Tylenol, ibuprofen, and allergy medicine. Prison commissaries vary in their prices, variety, and accessibility, although some attempt is usually made to ensure [Page 145]consistency between establishments in the same correctional system. In most prisons, individuals may visit the commissary only once a week, although in jails those awaiting trial may be able to make purchases more frequently. Housing units within a facility usually visit the store at different times to minimize contact and conflict between different inmates. Although, increasingly, commissaries are being privatized, profits from commissary purchases often go back into an inmate fund for such items as cable television, leisure time activity equipment, and other resources for the general population. Thus, the benefits of prison commissaries may be felt by more than just those individuals who buy products from them.