So you think the state (really the tax payers) pays for everything in prison?

The state only pays for basic housing, clothing, medical, and food. And top-notch security, gated community, you know.

We really need to discuss that word basic.

Yes, MFT is protected from the outside elements, but the inside climate is hardly better. He lives in a concrete building which has subpar heating and cooling. They don’t always function, or they leave them running too long after the seasons change (double hot or double cold). This concrete building is located in California’s Central Valley, a place of extreme temperatures. You do the math. And, besides extreme temperatures, due to the poor ventilation of said building when combined with the showers and the indoor line drying of laundry of 252 men, it also becomes extremely humid which is what MFT finds most taxing. The humidity can get so bad that the floor is slick with water, like a lake. In wintertime, water saturates the back wall and black mold sprouts up. (And MFT’s bunk is against a back wall, so he has to stay on top of mold removal.)

His basic food is also subpar. MFT himself has seen boxes of chicken meat destined for the inmates’ meals that were clearly labelled, “NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.” (MFT has enough kitchen horror stories for an entire post.) MFT would rather eat bread and water than go to chow. Not only does the food fit that descriptive word slop, but he finds the whole process of getting there degrading, with the men being treated like cattle. Additionally, the peace of a suddenly quiet building once everyone leaves is priceless to him.

So this is why inmates with loved ones who can pay for communication and extra food fare better than those without. (Besides the companionship and sex from a relationship with an outside woman, inmates can count on eating better.)

***

What follows is what I personally contribute to MFT’s well-being. Because of his hustles and other connections, he does have other sources of provision.

Communication Pays, So We Pay for Communication

Global Tel Link (GTL) provides our main mode of communication—the texts and video calls on the Getting Out app. I budget $40 a month. Sometimes it’s over (those months we can’t resist having lots of video calls) and some months it’s under (when we’re fighting a lot and not videoing—I refuse to pay $2.40 to argue). MFT pays for his GTL use (yes, he has to pay for GTL too!) and that comes out of his limited canteen money. This means every text he sends is a financial decision.

Let me publicly address the heartlessness of a system that makes an inmate pay to communicate with his friends and family when those friends and family are already paying to communicate with him. Inmate texts should be free. Once again, the prison system’s stated goal of Rehabilitation seems at odds with the actual practices. Please read this article for more information.

Canteen, etc.

Canteen is the food store there on the yard. Sadly, it’s mostly processed and junk food, so MFT doesn’t buy much. The etc. includes his GTL costs and the periodic food sales.

Food sales! Local restaurants deliver pre-ordered food to the prison. This is a chance for the men to eat food they actually look forward to. MFT’s favorite is pizza. When I first met him, he would order nine large pizzas and eat three of them the first day! (Didn’t I tell you he was a big boy?)

Thankfully, MFT has changed his eating habits since his Congestive Heart Failure diagnosis in 2023. He still buys pizzas but a reasonable number now. And he always shares with his pod mates who don’t have family or friends sending them money and thus can’t participate in the food sales. Imagine how sad it is having to eat crummy cafeteria food for every single meal, and then every so often smelling pizza or fried chicken or French fries that you can’t afford to buy. MFT even ordered an actual rotisserie chicken at the last food sale!

So basically, this category in my budget is for anything he needs to buy there in his own little world, and I budget $75 a month for it.

He Needs Healthy Food

One of the ways to manage CHF is to eat a very healthy diet. But the prison-provided food does not even come close and could actually worsen his condition because of the saturated fat, sodium, and lack of whole grains and fresh vegetables. Thankfully, MFT has a source for healthy food which for him is a medical necessity (although he still can’t buy fresh vegetables[1]).

Once a quarter, inmates can order a food & sundries package from a supplier (ours are Walkenhorst, Union Supply, or Access). This is where MFT obtains the bulk of his food, because he can buy healthier items. Some of his staples are dry oats, protein bars, coffee, packaged beans, brown rice, and meats, as well as some treats for himself. This is also how he replaces his shirts and shorts, undies and socks.[2] And he can buy real shoes. (The state-provided shoes suck.)

There is a 30-lb. weight limit for each package, so you (the person ordering) have a balancing act. It’s like The Price is Right—you want to be as close to the limit as you can get without going over.  Since my money is tight, MFT doesn’t want me spending more than $150 per package, but he could easily spend more. Remember, this is his only source of healthy food and the package needs to last three months—30 pounds of food for 3 months. With his hustling abilities, he is usually able to order another package each quarter.[3]

The Cost of Seeing His Face

We receive a family visit roughly every four months. Since I’m not a salaried employee, I need to save up my lost income for the week, as well as my travel costs and our food costs (which also need to cover my eating-while-traveling). My average travel + food cost for our three family visits thus far has been $894.45, which works out to $223.61 a month.[4]

I live halfway across the United States from MFT, so I have to fly, and bringing all the supplies for our family visit requires an extra-large suitcase. I try my hardest to bring only the barest of necessities to avoid the $50 charge for overweight luggage. It’s easier in summer because we don’t need a big, cozy blanket. (A warm blanket is a necessity for Dolly in that bungalow in winter!) Of course, I use credit card points whenever possible to offset the travel costs: flights, rental car, hotel,[5] and airport parking.

We have to buy our own food for the visit through the same company that provides the packages, as well as anything else we want from a fresh food vendor (things like milk, eggs, cheese, raw meat, salad, etc.).

Our Hope

Someday, we believe, MFT will come home, and he will need some basic things (like clothes and a cell phone). We’d also like to take a honeymoon. I’ve set my budget for this category at $2500. It’s probably not enough for everything, but I’ve got to start somewhere. It’s hard to fund this category when I’m also trying to save up to replace my car, cell phone, and laptop. Eventually, those will need to be replaced, so those are certain costs, whereas MFT’s Homecoming is just a hope right now.

Truly Thankful

I am truly thankful for all of the things I am able to pay for, as they each greatly enhance MFT’s quality of life. And yes, I know some people will say he’s in prison and he deserves to be miserable. And some people might even dismiss his very real medical need for healthy food—don’t get me started on that—but it’s human nature to want to give your loved one a better life. What kind of wife would I be if I had that same mindset and let my husband rot in there without sacrificing to do my part? I may not be able to get him out, but I can make sure his life in there is more bearable, even though it costs me $687 a month.[6]

And guess what—phone calls are now free!

[1] This is Dolly’s sadness speaking. MFT doesn’t miss them.

[2] Dolly was shocked the first time she saw a catalog—everything is either gray or white. So sad and boring!

[3] MFT’s 20-plus years of hustling and why he’s recently stopped is a post all by itself.

[4] This doesn’t include my lost wages.

[5] I need a hotel room the night before check-in, since I have to be there at 8 AM.

[6] Not including our Homecoming category.