A movie - leaver ’s construct of prison house economic system is likely that it ’s a cigarette - fueled swap arrangement . That may be part of it , but it only scratches the surface . The truth is a violent world of sex , drugs and … stamp stamps ?
First off , the days of prisoner being allow to have two packs of cigarettes a week are long go . In California , and most other states , there is a full prohibition on any tobacco plant product . Regardless , smoking car require their fix , and if you ’re familiar with the precept of supply and demand , you will infer that the price of baccy in prison is astronomic . In fact , it can be even more expensive than dope , according to Officer Eric Patao :
“ Tobacco powerful now is a huge good . It ’s really more expensive than marijuana , count on supplying and demand . A lot of these guys are just junkie with the nicotine and they ’ve just got to have it at all costs . They ’ll jeopardize their have intercourse unity on the streets to test to smuggle it in . They do n’t care . ”
Tobacco , drugs , and other contraband enter jails through the same ( usually uncomfortable ) channels that cellphones do , whichwe covered in profoundness yesterday . And prices are highly variable depending on what you ’re in for : the more secure the social unit , the harder to get contraband , the high the cost . According to Officer Eric Patao , “ A $ 15 can ofBuglertobacco can go for as much as $ 500 in prison . ”
https://gizmodo.com/yes-prisoners-carry-iphones-in-their-asses-5853495
For drugs , the same laws of provision / need and social unit security apply . “ poop can be as much as 10 times the street value , ” says Officer Patao . “ An ounce of crystal meth after it is broken down can go for several thousand . ” Several thousand sounds like a sight of money , but bear in judgement that in prison we ’re almost never talking about clam bills .
“ With anything , you could pay with the price of stamps , mobile canteen , intimate favors , hits , square cash , whatever has monetary economic value , ” said Patao .
“ Canteen ” essentially mean intellectual nourishment , which can be ordered from the catalogue cite in the TV above . More on those in a second . As for hits ? I had to need , and Officer Patao affirm that it was exactly what I was hoping it was n’t . bang are an “ attack on another prisoner . Just like a declaration hit . ” That ’s a somewhat goddamn chilling way of pay for a handful of cigarettes .
Not surprisingly , force is also the most common form of bill collection . “ If inmates do n’t get paid then criminal routine are going to follow , ” say Officer Patao . “ wildness is going to follow … Then who gets bruise ? Often faculty members who are trying to break it up . ”
I require Officer Patao if weapons come in through the same canal as other black goods . He said not really , because they just make their own . Yes , we know . Holy crap , do we know . ( If you missed our piece on inmate make up weapons , verify you click that inter-group communication . )
https://gizmodo.com/the-many-insane-flavors-of-improvised-prison-weapons-5853104
Maybe most surprising about the prison economy ? The predominant currentness is postage stamp stamps . They can be procured easily and de jure , and inmates are allowed to have them ( though only as many as 40 at a time ) . This availability makes it the de facto form of payment , and here ’s a little fun fact : postage stamps are actually considered effectual tender in the United States . That entail that , technically , you could show up at Best Buy with a briefcase full of stamp and purchase a50 - in 3DTVwith them . Everyone in the store would hate you , but de jure , they ’re guess to accept it . [ Update : as commenters have luff out , they are not , in fact , legally require to accept it . However they could accept it as legal tender . ]
https://gizmodo.com/lg-50pz950-3dtv-reviewed-one-of-the-best-tvs-out-there-5842231
There are effectual purchase as well , of trend , through a catalog system excuse by Sam Johnson in the video above . Inmates work various jobs ( commonly pull in about 50 - penny an minute , plus or minus , bet on the piece of work ) , and that money go into their accounts , which is primarily how they bear for catalog particular ( though their mob can add money to their trust accounts , too ) .
What yard bird can get differs prison to prison house and whole to whole . TheAccess Cataloghas the grown - ticket items , like TVs and radiocommunication . The biggest , overnice telecasting you could get seemed to be a 13 - column inch RCA flatscreen for $ 216 , with clear credit card and no speaker system . None of the TVs have talker , but as we learned inMonday ’s Prison DIY piece , there are some cagey hacks to get around that .
https://gizmodo.com/the-diy-wizards-of-san-quentin-5852733
Walkenhorst’shas more small - just the ticket item . Candybars are a Pearl Buck a dad . Just - add - water Asian food like Annie Chun ’s noodle soups are $ 5 . They can get shoes from the the likes of of Adidas , Nike , Reebok , and other major marque , but they can only be black and white ( no red Jordans for you , jailbird ) , and all other sort of personal token . The coolest thing I encounter on Walkenhorst ’s was customizable compact disk where you pick your trail for about $ 2 a pop . Cool that these guys can still make mixtapes , like an immure John Cusack from High Fidelity .
Of naturally , meshing TV and Mars bars can only last a person so long , especially if that person is more customary to a wild and reckless lifestyle — and with most of these inmates carry a life time , that ’s believably a safe presumptuousness . That ’s why the trade system , as Machiavellian and downright terrifying as it might sound , has to exist . Since the beginning of recorded history , human beings have found a room to create altered states of awareness ( i.e. get effed up ) . If you think a little thing like prison can resist in the way of millennia of human evolution and resource , you are very much mistaken .
Lockdownis all about the engineering inside prison , from weapon to hacks , bootleg to preparation , and everything in between . We ’re fetch it to you straight from San Quentin State Prison in California . you’re able to register the introduction to the serieshere , and see all of the other postshere . Tomorrow we ’ll be doing some cooking , so get your bibs on and check out back .
https://gizmodo.com/technology-in-americas-most-notorious-prison-5852687
you may keep up with Brent Rose , the author of this stake , onGoogle+orTwitter .
peculiar thanks to Terry Thornton , Dana Toyama , and Sam Robinson of the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation for facilitating this sojourn . give thanks you to Sergeant Don McGraw , Officer Eric Patao , and Officer Gino Whitehall for all of their meter and assistance . And thanks to inmates Sam Johnson Sr . , Richard Lawrence Alley , Shahid , and Marvin Caldwell for sharing a slice of their life story with us .
Video byBill Bowles , Woody Allen Jang , andBrent Rose
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