Although we can buy food from the commissary, the average prison wage is five or six dollars every two weeks. It is impossible for one to obtain their necessities with prison wages. Imagine trying to budget five or six dollars when you need soap, toothpaste, or detergent. You have no funds left over for food, coffee, or cigarettes. I have seen people pick up cigarette butts from the ground, just so they can smoke. I heard a man say, “I’m not taking a shower today because I have to save my soap.” Snacks went up in price, along with tuna fish, ramen soups, and socks; some items have doubled in price. At one point, a head of lettuce was almost four dollars.
With wages between 10¢ and 65¢ an hour.
13th Amendment “except as a punishment for crime” goes brrrr