Meals in County Jails

One thing I've noticed interviewing county jail inmates across the US is that pretty much everybody agrees that the meals are terrible.

In some jails, however, they have very regular access to commissary which makes the meals almost irrelevant (yes, there are plenty of inmates who don't eat anything that is served to them by the jail). If you have a friend or family member in a jail that offers commissary just make sure to keep some money on their "books" - this is the inmate's account that allows them to purchase things from the jail.

Commissary prices are always jacked way up because the inmate's have no alternative - because there is no free market keeping prices in check they raise to pretty crazy levels. Sometimes you will see something as simple as a pack of Ramen going for $3. Be grateful next time you go to the grocery store...