Earlier this month, when Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux said he would spend $1.6 million in profits made off inmates to fund air conditioning at his jail facilities, the announcement shined a light on a particular pot of money maintained by jails and prisons across the state.
An inmate canteen fund is financed by the often double-digit percentage markups placed on commissary goods, such as snacks, drinks, postage or clothing, that inmates purchase from what are essentially convenience stores inside correctional facilities. In Bristol County, before Heroux’s tenure, the markup was 32%.
