An Anonymous Coward suggests the following story: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-08/asa-rns081616.php
Ramen noodles are supplanting the once popular cigarettes as a form of currency among state prisoners, but not in response to bans on tobacco products within prison systems, finds a new study.
Instead, study author Michael Gibson-Light, a doctoral candidate in the University of Arizona School of Sociology, found that inmates are trying to figure out ways to better feed themselves as certain prison services are being defunded.
[...] "Prison staff members as well as members of the inmate population provided narratives of the history of changes in prison food -- the past few decades have seen steady decreases in the quality and quantity of inmate food," Gibson-Light said.
"Prisoners are so unhappy with the quality and quantity of prison food that they receive that they have begun relying on ramen noodles -- a cheap, durable food product -- as a form of money in the underground economy," he said. "Because it is cheap, tasty, and rich in calories, ramen has become so valuable that it is used to exchange for other goods."
Those other goods include other food items, clothing, hygiene products, and even services, such as laundry and bunk cleaning, Gibson-Light said. Others use ramen noodles as bargaining chips in gambling when playing card games or participating in football pools, he said.
[...] "Throughout the nation, we can observe prison cost-cutting and cost-shifting as well as changes in the informal economic practices of inmates," he said. "Services are cut back and many costs are passed on to inmates in an effort to respond to calls to remain both tough on crime and cost effective."
The US authorities and most citizens prefer a punitive instead of a rehabilitative approach, despite the fact that most prisoners are eventually let out of prison alive.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 24 2016, @11:33PM
Prison conditions are now so bad that legal things (necessities of life) are being traded as currency in prison.
Traditionally, illegal things are more lucrative due to the higher mark-up.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Wednesday August 24 2016, @11:42PM
Maybe it's not necessity, but desire. What are prisoners eating?
Food As Punishment: Giving U.S. Inmates 'The Loaf' Persists [npr.org]
Watch People Try Nutraloaf, The Controversial Prison Food That’s Been Called ‘Cruel’ [huffingtonpost.com]
Dining Critic Tries Nutraloaf, the Prison Food for Misbehaving Inmates [chicagomag.com]
Goodbye, Prison Loaf: Reporter’s Notebook [nytimes.com]
‘America’s Toughest Sheriff’ Takes Meat off Jail Menu [time.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday August 24 2016, @11:45PM
Expands on the Time link:
Maricopa inmates learn to live vegetarian [arizonasonoranewsservice.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by jdavidb on Thursday August 25 2016, @01:20PM
Fascinating! (Especially to someone like me who routinely eats Soylent and Soylent knockoffs.)
This whole thread has been one of the most interesting discussions here in awhile - been a long time since I blew all my daily mod points on one thread.
ⓋⒶ☮✝🕊 Secession is the right of all sentient beings