The term “prison currency” doesn’t refer to what we usually use for transactions, i.e., money – it’s really not that. Both in state and federal prisons, inmates shouldn’t use cash to buy commissary items or use prison services like haircuts, cell cleanings, or shoeshines. They can instead pay them with their inmate account.
Not all inmates are lucky. In fact, many do not get financial support from families or even friends; they actually use another currency for transactions. It seems like a common economic activity in prison, although trading or bartering is against prison rules.
So, what kind of currency is used in prison? And how do inmates carry out transactions in prison that many people call the “black market?” Okay, here’s everything you can know about prison currency!
Prison Currency: What Do Inmates Usually Use for Transactions?
Basically, prison currency could be anything, and it would only be goods. The items that can be used as a medium of exchange are subject to mutual agreement between the inmates who do so.
Inmates do this for simple reasons: they really need the items, but they don’t have any money to purchase them. Well, this is a starting point for inmates to make a transaction, and of course, this activity benefits both parties.
There are various items that inmates can use as prison currency. Well, the item that can easily be purchased in any shop almost anywhere on the corner of the city, called “cigarettes,” had become the longest currency in prison until 2004.
But it was over after the Federal Bureau of Prisons officially banned smoking and possession of tobacco in any form in prison. This practice was actually applied in 2006 and prohibited tobacco products from being on the shelves of prison commissaries.
After that, cigarettes, which had previously been the main prison currency, turned into smuggled goods. But prison guards are still allowed to possess tobacco, but inmates are only allowed to smoke for religious purposes.
That said, electric cigarettes are still available, but they are in a small number of jails in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Once the cigarettes were banned, the inmates at that time surely looked for a replacement currency that they could use again for transactions in prison. By looking at various sides and making considerations to get value for money, they finally used several items as prison replacement currency.
And the following are the currencies that inmates currently use in prison:
1. Stamp
Stamps have become one of the scarcest and easiest currencies used in prison. Inmates use them since these are legal tenders in the United States that have a high and stable value, unlike other prison currencies, which fluctuate depending on supply and demand.
Stamps are traditionally divided into two categories:
- Compound stamps are obsolete stamps that cannot be used to send mail. These are equal to $0.25 each. These can be purchased from a store deck. And it’s usually an inmate who ran a black market commissary from his cell or locker.
- Mailing stamps are the first-class stamps that can be used for mailing purposes, and each is generally worth 25 cents, though one forever stamp is worth 49 cents and three stamps equal $1.00. Today, a global stamp or regular stamp is worth $1. These can be purchased from an institutional commissary.
Inmates can use stamps to purchase any commissary items in prison, such as foods, beverages, hygiene items, clothing, etc.
2. Packs of Mackerel Fish
Aside from stamps, foil packets of mackerel fish, also known as “macks”, are also used as prison currency. In some prisons, packs of mackerel fish are a prominent commissary item since their price is close to $1. Just like stamps, the value of mackerel fish maintains stability.
In 2021, a packet of mackerel fish was worth about $. As of 2023, its price had inflated to $1.30. According to a prisoner’s notes in the Wall & Broadcast video, the packets of mackerel fish were also inherently inflationary since their supply was limited to 14 macks per week per inmate.
Another reason why inmates have used macks as prison currency is that it takes a long time to store it, where it will expire after three years. Later, these became known as “money macks” and retained 75% of the meal value of the macks. That’s why making macks as prison currency is the best choice.
3. Packs of Tuna Fish
Packs of tuna fish are sold in foil packages that people can rip off the top. Just like macks, tunas are also shelf stable, as long as the package remains sealed, so the fish inside will remain edible indefinitely.
Most prisons sell a pack of tuna fish for $1, and it could be a great snack. Packs of tuna fish are commonly traded among inmates since each inmate can have a maximum of three packets at one time. Reportedly, 15 packs of tuna fish can get an inmate a haircut from a real barber who is in prison with you.
That’s why packs of tuna fish are used as prison currency due to their rarity and value.
3. Ramen Noodles
Of course, a number of commissary items have become preferred as replacement currency following the ban on tobacco in prisons – a pack of ramen noodles, often called “soups,” is one of them. Why is this?
We think every inmate will agree if ramen noodles are such a savior of their tongues when prison food is so disgusting, making them vomit. The availability of instant ramen noodles will never run out since these have become a popular commodity to supplement inmates’ food needs in prison.
Additionally, packs of ramen noodles are easy to exchange for other items or services between inmates. So, it’s no wonder if inmates currently use packs of ramen noodles as prison currency.
Okay, those are some items that are used as prison currency. Since inmates basically do bartering activities, the currency as a medium of exchange is actually not limited to the above items but can be anything, such as packs of chips, honey buns, or even bags of instant coffee.
How Do Inmates Run Black Markets in Prison?
Carrying out transactions by exchanging goods in prison cannot be separated from being labeled as a “black market activity”. Even though this activity is against the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ rules, many turn a blind eye, including prison guards.
They realize that this is the only thing that inmates can do to get the items they really need, especially for those who don’t get any financial support from their families. However, when they find activities to exchange goods for alcohol and drugs, they will take action.
Although giving or receiving something of value and conducting business may result in a loss of privileges, for 30 to 90 days, inmates still benefit from black market activity to a certain level. For them, this is what can be done.
Let’s assume that an inmate doesn’t want to pay $2.45 for a jar of peanut butter from the commissary since he has no money on his inmate account. Instead, he can pay $1 for 10 packs of peanut butter. So, he can save a lot more for the same price as a jar of peanut butter from the commissary.
The black market activity can also begin when inmates steal ingredients from the prison kitchen to be traded with another inmate who needs them, and they can get the items they want from the inmate. They usually take advantage of store clerks to do this. The ingredients here could be onions, tomatoes, burritos, and other food items that are very hard to get.
According to some former inmates, the safest way to get involved in black market activity is to only do business with people who have a good reputation. And make sure they always pay their debts on time and rarely give credit to anyone. The last important thing is to always comply with the agreements you make.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
