Off the Books: How Disease and Age Are Driving the Underground Prison Economy

• In Event: Coping with Imprisonment: Experiences of Male and Female Inmates

Abstract

Older prisoners are the fastest growing age group within today’s U.S. prison system. In addition to the general risk factors prisoners have for a variety of infectious, stress-related, and chronic diseases, age carries with it further risks tied to physical functioning, morbidity, and mortality. Using qualitative data collected from interviews with aging prisoners incarcerated at three different prisons, this study examines the struggles of older prisoners to meet their health needs amidst very depriving and oftentimes unequal circumstances. Findings show that although some prisoners can afford to rely on the official commissary system to purchase supplementary items such as multivitamins and tuna fish to help protect their health, others report dependence on illegitimate channels to acquire similar items, thus tying the underground economy to disease and sickness in meaningful ways. Implications for prison administration, health, and inequalities are addressed.

Author

• Meghan Novisky, Cleveland State University