Using the commissary proceeds, the department has offset increasing costs for mental health services.
By MATT STILES, JOYCE LEE
The Houston Chronicle
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Instant Ramen noodles may be a cheap staple in college dorm rooms everywhere, but they take on a special kind of currency at the Harris County Jail.
Last year, inmates there bought more than 3 million packs of the ubiquitous noodles from the commissary, with an apparent affinity for chili flavor, records show.
The inmates, whose official meals are closely regulated for calories, eat them for snacks or elaborate jailhouse feasts. They even use them as barter.
“I might have two soups, and someone else has two soups. We can feed four people,” said Marcus Jones, 20, who served 45 days for criminal mischief in 2005. “People trade. We played dominoes for soups.”
The noodles are the most popular among more than 100 items for sale at the commissary, including personal-hygiene supplies, medicines and clothing.
The proceeds from those sales help the department fund jail improvements and inmate services.
Jail officials say access to the goods serves as a control mechanism aimed at keeping inmates happy - even though some complain about the cost and quality - by offering a small taste of freedom.
“The small luxuries mean the world to them when they’re in here,” said Maj. Kim Stelter, who heads the department’s Support Services Bureau. “It’s also beneficial to the taxpayers, because a lot of this offsets costs.”
The commissary grossed more than $8 million last year, with inmates buying items by the tens of thousands.
Envelopes were the most popular items behind the chili-, beef- and chicken-flavored Ramen, with 548,492 sold.
Inmates also bought lots of potato chips (354,659 packages), sodas (268,258 bottles) and ballpoint pens (138,136). Snickers was the favorite candy (161,420 bars). Inedible jailhouse staples include stamps (31,344 books sold), notepads (39,839) and copies of the King James Bible (825).
Not all items are in demand. The commissary sold just 61 units of “8XLG” men’s underwear, only 662 tubes of denture cream, and a paltry 377 “elegant” red lipsticks.
Overall, though, inmates made more than 8 million purchases from the commissary, earning the department about $1 million in profit last year, records show.
Profits go to programs
The money is only a fraction of the Sheriff’s Office’s $300 million annual budget, a fact jail officials stress to rebut criticism by inmates about prices.
“It’s a captive audience, and we don’t want to be accused of gouging them,” said Deputy Chief Mike Smith, who supervises the detention command.
State law requires that commissary revenue be spent on programs that directly benefit the inmates.
The Harris County Auditor’s Office also compiled state-mandated annual reports in recent years stating that the Sheriff’s Office spent the money lawfully.
Using the commissary proceeds, for example, the department has offset increasing costs for mental health services.
That includes about $1 million in modifications to the mental health unit at 1200 Baker, including a new nursing station, padded “safety cells” and cages around stairways to prevent inmates from jumping.
The commissary is indispensable for many inmates, providing luxuries such as lotion, shampoo and over-the-counter pain medication the department does not provide to inmates.
The process begins with deputies and inmate trustees working during the early morning hours to fill the inmates’ orders, which are collected on preprinted forms. Deputies deliver the goods on a specific day each week, depending on an inmate’s location.
“There’s this excitement, this buzz in the air,” said Bethany Heinesh, a University of Houston student who served a 45-day sentence for drug possession, speaking about delivery day.
But Heinesh, who also worked as a trustee inside the commissary warehouse, complained that the merchandise is overpriced or, in some cases, of poor quality.
Safety first
One item that draws many complaints is the tiny, flexible ballpoint pen offered for 80 cents in the commissary. It has special ink that washes away so inmates cannot damage uniforms and other property. That can make using the pens difficult.
Sheriff’s officials know about inmates’ complaints, but they offer the pen because it cannot easily be used to hurt inmates or employees.
“They’re very adept at turning things into weapons,” Smith said. “In the jail, it’s a constant struggle between efficiency and security.”
Smith noted that an inmate recently cut a deputy on the neck with a shaving razor.
Inmates are allowed, however, to purchase hot pots. They use them to cook soup, as well as other food from the commissary, including refried beans and chili.
Some pool ingredients in a bit of jailhouse collegiality to create a “spread,” or shared meal.
One recipe is mixed thusly: Ramen is cooked, then placed into a foil chips bag; cheese, crackers and jalapenos are mixed in; the bag is sealed, and the whole concoction is cooked in a hot pot for 30 minutes.
The result is something like a cheese log.
Inmates’ friends and family can leave commissary money by phone, mail or at the jail. Inmates who do not have money get a small razor, a 0.6-ounce toothpaste tube, 20 sheets of paper and four envelopes.
“It’s a big social status thing,” Heinesh said. “If you didn’t get commissary, you’re a total loser.”
She added, “Commissary is like gold in there.”
Soup sales
Ramen noodle soup is the most popular item for inmates shopping from the Harris County jail commissary. Here’s a breakdown of the purchases, and the county’s profit, from the ubiquitous snack in 2007.
3,046,267 Number of packages sold
12 cents Per-package cost to county
45 cents Amount inmates pay
$913,880 County’s profit
Chronicle researcher Joyce Lee contributed to this story.
Copyright 2008 The Houston Chronicle