#492 Credit in prison
Credit in prison?
So now then, is there such a thing as credit in prison? Of course. Now,
by “credit” we are not talking about gain time or merit time, we are
talking about inmates who lend or borrow money and/or items.
There
is no question that this exists in prison, but the person who emailed
me wanted to know how to deal with this, or if one should at all.
Let’s try to go over the general realm of “loan sharks” or “canteen men”.
We
all know what a “loan shark” is; someone who will lend you money at a
high interest rate to return. For example, for every dollar you borrow,
you might have to pay it back plus a quarter…or fifty cents. This is
what some guys do in prison; they loan money to other inmates with high
interest.
The other type is a “canteen man”. Just as there are
real prison canteens and inmate canteen men who operate them, there are
also unofficial canteen guys who buy products and sell them in the
dorms. If for example you wanted some snacks after hours, you would not
be able to get it from the prison canteen because it would be closed.
But the “canteen man” is open as long as they dorm is open and the yard
is open.
These guys usually work off a “two for one” deal,
meaning that for every item you buy, you owe two back; either by
product or in money.
Confused? Let me create an example to help you understand.
Let’s
say I was an inmate who didn’t have any money but was allowed to get
some stuff from the canteen man. Let’s say one night I am hungry and
get a bag of chips, (valued at 50 cents) a cup of soup (valued at 60
cents) and a candy bar (valued at 50 cents). That is a total of $1.60
that I got from the “canteen man”.
If he was charging the “two
for one”, then I would owe him EITHER 2 bags of chips, 2 cups of soup
and 2 candy bars OR twice the total value I borrowed, that being $3.20.
“Why does that matter?”
This
is important to know, because when you borrow from the canteen man, he
has the right (by prison code) to tell you what to get for him. If he
is cool with you getting him double back, that is fine, but he might
need to “change up” a bit, and might come to you and say, “hey, since
you owe me $3.20, instead of getting me those items, I want you to get
me a bottle of shampoo (valued at $2.50) and two cups of soup.
It
all depends on what he wants. Also consider this, it is possible that
the items you have to repay might not be in the canteen, so you have to
get him something else. If so, you have to first ask him what he wants;
don’t assume he will take what you give him.
Got it?