Cost of Prison
Incarcerated people, their families and American taxpayers shoulder the immense economic cost of the U.S. prison system. The Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) found that the U.S. government spends $80.7 billion on public prisons and jails and $3.9 billion on private prisons and jails. The annual cost to families of prison phone calls and commissary purchases is $2.9 billion.
Within prisons, economies operate through the commissary and informal barter markets. Incarcerated people often spend much of their wages on basic necessities. They also trade for everyday goods and services, such as cigarettes, coffee, books and haircuts. These are stories about the economics and cost of prison, including how incarcerated individuals and their families manage their finances.
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