A prison commissary is the store inside a correctional facility where incarcerated people buy food, hygiene products, and personal items the institution doesn’t provide for free. There’s no cash involved. Every purchase runs through an individual trust fund account funded by prison wages and by deposits sent in by family or friends. In federal prisons, each housing unit gets one designated shopping day a week.
What’s Available to Buy
Inventory varies by facility and security level, but the core looks similar across the system. Food is the biggest category: ramen noodles, instant coffee, chips, candy bars, canned tuna or mackerel, peanut butter, and shelf-stable snacks that supplement institutional meals. Hygiene items like soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, and razors are standard, along with paper, pens, envelopes, and greeting cards.
Federal commissaries also stock a wider range of goods than people expect. The Bureau of Prisons allows clear digital AM/FM radios, MP3 players with most features disabled for security, watches priced up to $100, alarm clocks, athletic shoes in black or white up to $100, fans where weather calls for them, and recreation items like playing cards, handball gloves, and harmonicas. Stamps are available but typically limited to 20 first-class stamps per visit.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual – Program Statement 4500.12
Over-the-counter medications fill out most lists, giving people access to pain relievers, antacids, and similar basics without a trip to medical for every minor issue. Wardens can add or remove items based on local conditions and security concerns.
How the Trust Fund Account Works
Every incarcerated person has an individual trust fund account, and all commissary purchases are deducted electronically from that balance. Money flows in from two places: wages earned through work assignments and deposits sent by family or friends outside.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual – Program Statement 4500.12
Outside deposits are the main source for most people inside. The bulk of commissary spending comes from family, and those without outside support have a much harder time affording even basic comfort items.
Not every dollar in the account is available for spending. Federal inmates who owe court-ordered fines, restitution, or child support participate in the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program, which requires minimum quarterly payments of $25 for most work assignments. The Bureau excludes $75 per month from these calculations so inmates can maintain phone contact with family.2eCFR. 28 CFR 545.11 – Procedures
How Family Can Send Money
For federal facilities, the Bureau of Prisons routes deposits through Western Union’s Quick Collect program. There are four ways to send:
- Mobile app: download Send2Corrections from the Apple App Store or Google Play and pay by credit or debit card.
- Online: go to send2corrections.com and pay by card.
- In person: any Western Union location, cash or (at select locations) debit card.
- By phone: call Western Union at 1-800-634-3422 and choose option 2. A card is required.
You’ll need the inmate’s eight-digit register number followed immediately by their last name with no spaces or dashes, plus their full committed name. Funds sent between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern typically post within two to four hours. Anything sent after 9:00 p.m. posts the following morning at 7:00 a.m.3Federal Bureau of Prisons. Deposit Funds Using Western Union
State facilities use different deposit platforms, and this is where fees get noticeable. Services like JPay and Access Corrections charge transaction fees that typically run from a few dollars on small deposits up to roughly $8 or more on a $50 transfer. Mailing a money order directly to a facility sometimes avoids electronic fees but takes longer to process. The fees sound minor in isolation and add up fast when a family is sending money every week or two.
Shopping Day and Spending Limits
Commissary shopping runs on a rigid schedule. Each housing unit is assigned a specific day, and federal inmates typically shop once a week. Frequency varies by institution, with some state facilities and jails allowing purchases only every two weeks.4Federal Bureau of Prisons. Commissary
The traditional method involves filling out a paper order form with item codes and quantities, then picking up a bagged order at a commissary window. Many facilities have modernized this with digital kiosks or in-cell tablets that let people browse inventory, check prices, and submit orders electronically. The total is deducted from the trust fund account at purchase, and if the balance falls short, the order gets trimmed or rejected.
Most institutions impose a per-visit or monthly cap. Federal inmates who refuse to participate in the financial responsibility program face a restricted commissary limit of no more than $25 per month, excluding stamps and certain dietary items.2eCFR. 28 CFR 545.11 – Procedures Inmates in good standing face higher general limits that vary by facility, since the warden sets the maximum spend as an administrative matter.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual – Program Statement 4500.12
What Things Cost and What Inmates Earn
Commissary prices run higher than retail, often considerably higher. Investigative reports have documented prices up to five times what you’d pay outside, with individual items marked up anywhere from 20 percent to over 600 percent depending on the state and the product. Ramen noodles and antacids have been found marked up more than 65 percent in some state systems. Reading glasses, denture supplies, and hearing aid batteries often carry some of the largest premiums because there are no alternative suppliers.
A few states have put caps in place. California passed legislation capping commissary markups at 35 percent, and Illinois has long capped non-tobacco items at 25 percent. Most states leave pricing to corrections departments or their private commissary contractors, with markups of 30 to 50 percent common and higher spikes on specialty items.
Those prices land hard against what people inside actually earn. Federal prison jobs pay between $0.12 and $0.40 per hour for institutional work like food service, landscaping, or janitorial duties.5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Work Programs A full month of work at those rates covers a handful of commissary visits. Several states pay even less, or nothing at all for certain assignments, which is why outside financial support matters so much.
What Happens With No Money
A significant number of incarcerated people receive no outside support at all, and institutional wages alone barely cover commissary prices. For people with empty accounts, most facilities provide some version of an indigent kit or welfare pack.
These kits typically contain rock-bottom basics: a bar of soap, a small tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush, a comb, deodorant, shampoo, a pencil, and a couple of stamped envelopes. The threshold for qualifying is low. Policies commonly require that an inmate’s balance has been under a dollar or two for the past several weeks with no recent deposits. The provisions are functional but minimal.
Indigent status also shapes social dynamics inside. People who can’t afford commissary items depend on cellmates’ goodwill or take on informal debts that carry steep interest, which can lead to conflict and exploitation.
Commissary Access Is a Privilege
Corrections systems treat commissary access as a privilege that can be limited or revoked, not an entitlement. The Bureau of Prisons says this plainly: the warden or an authorized representative can limit or deny commissary privileges for any particular inmate.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual – Program Statement 4500.12 State and local facilities operate the same way. Disciplinary infractions commonly result in temporary suspension of shopping privileges, and serious or repeated violations can lead to longer restrictions.
The Informal Commissary Economy
Commissary items are the de facto currency behind bars. With no cash in circulation, people trade food and hygiene products the way people outside exchange money. Shelf-stable items with consistent value work best: pouches of mackerel, ramen noodles, and bags of chips all circulate widely.
A lending system operates around shopping day. People who run out before the next window can borrow from others, but the standard rate is brutal. A common arrangement charges 50 percent interest per commissary cycle, meaning a $2 item borrowed today costs $3 worth of goods two weeks later. Informal debts are a frequent source of conflict inside, and failing to repay can have serious consequences. Corrections staff generally know this economy exists but have limited ability to stop it.
Getting the Balance Back at Release
Whatever remains in a federal trust fund account at release belongs to the person leaving. The Bureau of Prisons pays out up to $500 in cash at the time of release. Any balance above $500 is sent as a U.S. Treasury check to the release destination, timed to arrive around the same time. The check is issued in the inmate’s committed name, and release payments include any unpaid institutional wages that haven’t been processed yet.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual – Program Statement 4500.12
State and local facilities handle release funds differently, and the process isn’t always smooth. Some systems issue debit cards loaded with the remaining balance, others mail checks, and processing delays are common. The bigger risk sits with phone and deposit accounts run by private companies rather than the facility itself. Some providers have historically seized funds from inactive accounts in as few as 90 days, and refund fees can eat into small balances. If money is left on a third-party deposit or phone platform after release, request a refund quickly before inactivity policies kick in.