The prison system is designed to be mostly self sufficient, and in many cases, profitable. The ethics of this are questionable, however, it is how the system works.
Inmates are required to seek out jobs. This can be anything from maintenance to yard crews to warehousing to kitchen. The premise is that every inmate should have a job and should be working. That is simply not the case. Most yards do not have enough jobs, and even still, inmates may work at three or four jobs at a time. They are the ones that receive “gang pay”, which is usually around $25 a month.
So what about those who do not get gang pay and who are unable to find a job. For those people, they have to find “side hustles” or create jobs for themselves. Some of these types of jobs are questionable and should be avoided, while others are more legitimate.
One note, under OKDOC policy, bartering is not allowed, although in some cases it is overlooked. Some of the more acceptable side hustles that exist is as follows:
- The Laundry Man: This is the guy that will charge you anywhere from $5 a month to $3 per load. For those who work and have a busy schedule, this is worth it. The laundry man will wash, dry, and fold clothes. In some cases, he will even iron and mend clothes if needed.
- The Cleaner: This is the guy that helps keep cells clean. For a dollar or two, he will sweep and mop a cell, and take out any trash that may exist.
- The Ice Man: There are no refrigerators in prison, so inmates have to rely on ice chests. If they always have food, it is worth it to pay someone $3 to $5 a week to make sure that the ice chests stay full.
- The Creators: Although this takes an initial investment of supplies, many people create gifts for inmates to take home to their families. Prices vary widely by skill, but in places where it is allowed, it is nice to send home a nice gift once in awhile.
- The Cook: Food in prison is a big deal. There are people who only subside on making food for others. Again, prices vary depending on skill, but for something unusual, it’s a nice treat occasionally.
- The list goes on if there is a need, there is always someone willing to pay for it.
The typical way of doing this is paying for items through canteen. Most people with jobs average $25 a month, so they use a bit of that to make their lives a little easier. Others have money coming from family on the outside. A little of this can be used to help others who don’t have jobs. For instance, on the outside, barbers get tips. In prison, it’s nice to leave a bag of candy or a rack of cookies to say thank you.
It’s a straight-forward process, however, a word of caution: always check to see if it is allowed beforehand. Some yards will allow a little of this to help out the workers while others have strict policies against it.
Even in the worst conditions, people will always try to find a way to make their lives better. In the end, that’s always the goal, to find a way to better ourselves.
