Why Some Prisoners Borrow, Beg, or Steal

In some prisons around the country, prisoners can go most days to their commissary and purchase food, hygiene items, and OTC medications, providing they have money in their prisoner account. In Michigan, we use a bi-weekly ordering system, ordering the products we wish to purchase through a kiosk system in our housing unit. Every two weeks, "store" is delivered to the unit. We cannot simply go to the commissary and order more when we run out. It requires planning ahead and conserving what you've already ordered. 

Because many prisoners are compulsive, they either owe most of their store out to the store man (or "corner dealer") in the unit. The store man charges 50% to borrow goods until the next store day. Many other prisoners consume most of their food in a few days. Every store day, the microwaves are very busy with lines of prisoners waiting to do their "cook-ups," often elaborate concoctions that should not take the hour or more they often use to cook. 

Some of the recipes people come up with in prison are pretty creative. Recently, I saw rice patties rolled in pulverized nachos. I'm sure there was more to the recipe, but I didn't ask. They did look delicious. But I also know two microwaves were used for more than two hours to cook the darn things. 

The few days before store comes, prisoners are often heard going around the housing unit asking to borrow noodles (Ramen noodles), chips, or some other food item. "Enterprising" prisoners will loan soups out, two for three. Borrow two, pay back three on store day. Others simply loan the soups out from the kindness of their hearts. 

Recently, three days before store day, I settled in for the night after returning from facilitating an evening class. I made some tea for the next day, put my books away, cleaned up my cell a bit, and settled down for a little TV entertainment. That's when the first prisoner stopped and asked, "Hey, have you got a soup until store?"

Normally, I'd say no, because people start thinking you're okay with loaning stuff out frequently. Kindness is often abused in prison. I gave this guy a soup because he'd never asked me before, and I knew him. I settled back down, only to hear my name called again. Another prisoner called up from the floor below, "Do you have a couple of soups until store?" I told him no. I know he gets high, and I didn't want to support his habit, even if it meant making up for what he'd already spent to get high. 

Three more times in the next ten minutes, I had people stop and ask to borrow soups. One more asked for a shot of coffee. I don't know what got into the housing unit that night, but it was crazy! I don't think I've ever had five people in less than fifteen minutes ask me to borrow soups. If I didn't mind dealing with the terrible hassle of it, I'd open a store myself. I'd probably do pretty well for myself. But it's against the rules, so I avoid the practice. 

I sent each additional person, including those who don't even know me, away empty handed. Had I given each guy a soup, I'd have none in my locker and I'd have to chase down soups on store, or write them off. Some people conveniently "forget" who they owe. In fact, store day is often referred to as "story day." The excuses don't get very creative, either. 

The longer I've been in prison, the more I recognize how impulsivity is a major problem for many prisoners. Impulsivity doesn't have to lead to crime, but it often does. When you're impulsive in one area of your life, you often are in others too. Impulsivity means ignoring future needs in favor of present "happiness." It means eating your entire store bag in two days and then begging, borrowing, or stealing to feed yourself until the next store. 

It's curious to me that no class that I know of in prison teaches prisoners how to reduce impulsivity. Now, THAT would be a good idea!