Ohio inmates spend millions at prison commissaries

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Ohio inmates spent $38 million at state prison commissaries last year — a slight increase — buying junk food, beverages and other items with money from home and from working prison jobs, a newspaper reported today.

Total commissary sales were up from $37.18 million in 2010, The Dayton Daily News reported.

Sales statewide average around $745 per inmate per year, with candy, chips, cookies and soda among the big sellers.

Taxpayers do not pay for inmates’ junk food, or even their deodorant. Inmates earn on average $18 a month working prison jobs, and family and friends can add money to their accounts for commissary items. More-expensive items such as sneakers and TVs are purchased through a secure online system and shipped to inmates.

Inmates can earn money through a variety of positions at Ohio facilities, including working as janitors and in commissaries, libraries and food service.