More than two decades ago, prisons in California stopped allowing packages from family members, instead requiring items be purchased and shipped through approved vendors. The policy was intended to reduce contraband and other unauthorized items.
When the policy was enacted in 2003, there were initially only two vendors available to residents: Walkenhorst’s and Access Securepak. But now, there are many options to choose from. The three leading vendors are Walkenhorst’s, Access Securepak and Union Supply Direct. Packages can be ordered quarterly from a catalog by either family members or the residents themselves.
Those who have been in prison since before the policy change remember not liking the change at first.
“I could no longer receive the items my family put together for me,” said John Palumbo, a 52-year-old man who has been incarcerated for 30 years. He added, however, that vendors “have provided items for me that have made my incarceration time bearable.”
Many people now look forward to receiving food, hygiene, clothes and electronics that can help to alleviate the extreme mental and emotional stress of incarceration. But the system isn’t perfect.
In the summer of 2025, I surveyed 47 people, or about 10% of the 450 residents of Cetinela State Prison’s D facility on their thoughts about the vendors.
One of the biggest problems people mentioned was pricing. Over the last few years in particular, residents have been grappling with price increases as a result of inflation and tariffs. The Basic Affordable Supplies for Incarcerated Californians policy caps markups at 35%, but even that is high when we can make as little as 8 cents an hour (the highest-paying prison jobs in California are $2 an hour).
For example, 5 ounces of Tajín Clásico seasoning, which cost $2 in 2020, is now $3.25, a 62% increase. Outside, the same bottle can be purchased for $2.50 at Dollar General. A 7.625-ounce package of Doritos Flamas has more than doubled in price to $4.45 from $2. Meanwhile, a 5-ounce beef sausage that used to cost $2.70 is now $3.95, a 46% increase.
Another issue was product quality. A notorious one is the digital UHF/VHF flat antenna, which is flimsy and prone to breaking near the top. Even without those issues, it doesn’t pick up signals very well.
Both are common across all of the vendors, which is why most people choose their vendor based on customer service.
Walkenhorst’s came up overwhelmingly at the top in terms of customer service, with 93% of those surveyed saying that it is their preferred vendor. Walkenhorst’s always notifies customers and provides an opportunity for us to order a replacement item if they are out of what we ordered. Other vendors don’t notify us when they are out of an item we ordered, and we’re unable to order a substitute for the missing items.
None of the options are ideal. But, in the past, when families were sending packages, the prison would confiscate all the unapproved items.
“There would be so much stuff in Receiving & Release because people would send so much stuff [residents] couldn’t have,” said a corrections officer I spoke to. “It would look like Walmart in there.”
He said now at least residents are able to get many items through approved vendors that weren’t permitted before.
