Doing time at a low

# The economy at a low

Everything in the general economy runs here. The difference is the fence, and the fence is priced in.

The frame

## Risk is priced in

The general description of how the prison economy works is in [the companion guide](/going-in/while-youre-in/the-economy) — stamps (the inmate currency) as currency, stores running two-for-one, and the full range of services. All of that operates at a low. What follows is what is different here.

The fundamental difference between a low and a camp is that everything contraband costs more, because getting it in is harder and the consequences are worse. At a camp there is no fence and considerably more traffic. At a low there is a fence, and the price reflects it.

Ordinary services are unaffected. Haircuts, laundry, tailoring, cleaning, cooking, food out of the kitchen, extra trays, legal work — all of it runs at a low the way it runs anywhere, and at similar prices.

Phones

## Contraband phones

Contraband phones exist at lows and they are expensive — substantially more than at a camp, often by a large multiple. Renting time on someone else's is the more common arrangement and considerably cheaper than owning one.

The sanction is the harshest in the ordinary disciplinary range: the hole, a significant loss of good conduct time (days off for staying out of trouble), and a transfer, which at a low means going up in security rather than down. You will make your own decision. Make it knowing what it costs, and knowing that the transfer is often the part that hurts most, because it resets every relationship you have built.

Prices vary enormously by institution and change constantly. Do not arrive with a number in your head. Local rates, where known, are tracked in [the facility guide](/resources/facilities).

The legal versions

## Phone minutes and packs

Official phone time (your monthly phone allowance) is capped monthly, and men who do not use theirs sell the remainder. This is one of the most common transactions on the compound and it is cheap relative to everything else.

The same applies to commissary. Spending is capped, and men who do not spend theirs will shop for you (going to the store) — buying someone's pack, in the local phrasing. If you have money and a low cap, this is how you get around it, and it is unremarkable.

One note: these arrangements are among the few that routinely cross the sex offender line, since the transaction is administrative and nobody has to sit down together. That is understood and nobody thinks much of it.

Tobacco

## Tobacco

Contraband, and priced accordingly. Prices vary more between institutions than anything else and unpredictably so.

Keep reading — part 11 of 13

### [Jobs and programming](/going-in/security-levels/at-a-low/jobs-and-programming)

You will have a job. Which one you get depends mostly on whether you asked.

For your people

## Hand the rest of this site to your family

You will not be able to look things up once you're inside. They can, and this is where: [everything written for the one waiting](/for-families) — a twelve-part guide to mail, visiting, money, and your release date, plus their own FAQ and checklist. Alongside it, a [guide to every facility](/resources/facilities) with [email alerts when visiting stops](/lockdown-alerts/subscribe), the [support group directory](/resources/support-groups), calculators for your release math, and [free answers](/contact) when they have questions.

Send them the link before you report, not after they can't reach you.

**Need help with this? Just ask.**

These pages cover the general rules. Your situation has details they don't. Email me a question. **Answers are free** , and "you don't need to pay anyone for this" is my most common answer.

[josh@federalprisondude.com](mailto:josh@federalprisondude.com?subject=Low%20security%20question)

I answer in the order received, usually within a couple of days. I have a day job. If your situation genuinely needs more than an email, I take a limited number of consults, so say so and we'll work it out.