A complete guide to jail commissary — what inmates can buy, how ordering works, and how families can support a loved one from outside.
What Inmates Can Buy From the Commissary is one of the most searched questions families ask in the hours and days after a loved one is booked into county jail. The answer is more layered than it first appears, and understanding how commissary works — what it sells, how purchases happen, and what you can do from the outside — makes a real difference in your loved one's daily comfort and wellbeing.
Why Commissary Matters More Than Most Families Realize
When someone is held in a county jail, the facility provides basic necessities: a bunk, meals, a jumpsuit, and access to showers. What it rarely provides in abundance are the small items that make confinement livable — a preferred soap brand, extra socks, a writing tablet, a book of stamps. Commissary fills that gap.
The commissary is essentially a store inside the jail. Incarcerated people can order from it on a scheduled basis, typically once a week or once every two weeks depending on the facility's policies. The order is fulfilled by the facility's contracted vendor or, in some jails, by an in-house operation run by the detention staff.
Families often underestimate how significant a well-stocked commissary account can be. It affects an incarcerated person's ability to communicate, stay clean, eat beyond institutional meals, and occupy time productively. For someone awaiting trial who may be in pretrial detention for weeks or months, commissary access shapes the quality of those days in ways that matter deeply.
How the Ordering System Works
Most county jails do not have a physical storefront where incarcerated people walk in and shop. Instead, they use a catalog or menu system. The catalog is typically made available on a tablet or kiosk provided inside the housing unit, or distributed on paper during ordering periods.
An incarcerated person reviews available items, selects what they want within the limits of their account balance, and submits the order during the designated window. Orders placed outside the ordering window are usually held until the next cycle. This creates a rhythm that families should understand — money deposited after an ordering deadline will not be available for spending until the following cycle.
Once orders are placed, they are typically fulfilled within one to three days and delivered directly to the housing unit. The items arrive in a bag or box, and the cost is deducted automatically from the incarcerated person's trust account. There is no cash exchanged; the entire system runs on account balances.
Returned orders, rejected items, or inventory outages are handled by each facility's vendor or staff differently. In some jails, credits are applied automatically. In others, the incarcerated person must submit a grievance. Knowing the process at your specific facility helps you set expectations about how money you deposit will ultimately be used.
What Inmates Can Buy From the Commissary: Food and Beverages
Food makes up the largest category of commissary purchases in most jails. Institutional meals are designed to meet basic caloric and nutritional thresholds, but they are rarely varied or satisfying over the long term. Commissary food gives incarcerated people the ability to supplement their diet with items they actually want.
Ramen noodle packets, also called soups in jail culture, are among the most commonly purchased items across virtually every jail commissary in the country. They serve both as a food source and, in many facilities, as an informal currency. Other common food items include instant oatmeal packets, peanut butter in single-serve pouches, crackers, chips, candy bars, beef jerky, and granola bars.
Beverage options typically include instant coffee, powdered drink mixes, hot cocoa packets, and sometimes tea. Soda in can or bottle form is rarely available in county jails for security reasons, though some facilities offer specialty beverages through their commissary vendor. Items that require cooking beyond hot water — like rice or dried beans in quantity — are generally not available.
For incarcerated people with dietary restrictions or strong preferences, commissary food options may be limited. Facilities are not universally required to stock halal, kosher, or vegan commissary alternatives, though some jails do carry a limited selection. Families who want to know what options exist at a specific facility should ask the facility directly or check the vendor's posted menu if it is publicly available.
Hygiene and Personal Care Items
Personal hygiene products are the second major category of commissary purchases. Jails provide basic soap and sometimes shampoo, but the quantity is limited and the quality is basic. Commissary allows incarcerated people to purchase the items they actually need for daily comfort and cleanliness.
Common hygiene items available through jail commissary include toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, lotion, razors (where security rules permit), nail clippers, and feminine hygiene products. The availability of any specific item depends on the facility's approved item list and the vendor's inventory.
Razors deserve special attention. Many facilities restrict or prohibit traditional razors entirely and instead offer electric razors for commissary purchase, or provide a supervised shaving schedule using facility-owned razors. Families should not assume a particular product will be available. Security classifications of items change, and a product offered one month may be restricted the next.
Feminine hygiene products are a legal requirement in many state jail systems — facilities are required by state law in a growing number of jurisdictions to provide basic menstrual products at no cost. However, the specific products provided for free may be minimal, and commissary offers a way to purchase preferred brands or quantities beyond what is issued. Policies on this vary widely, so verifying with the specific facility is always the right move.
Writing Supplies, Stamps, and Communication Materials
Staying connected with family during incarceration depends on two things: access to communication tools and money to pay for them. Commissary provides both in different ways.
Writing tablets, envelopes, pens, and postage stamps are standard commissary items in most county jails. These allow incarcerated people to write letters — still one of the most reliable and meaningful forms of communication between detained individuals and their families. Stamps are particularly valuable because they carry a fixed cost and can be used as soon as they are purchased.
Some jails also sell JPay or similar electronic messaging credits through commissary or through a linked account system, though these are often handled separately from the physical commissary order process. Families looking to enable messaging should investigate the specific platform the jail uses, as each facility contracts with a single provider for electronic communications.
Books are available in some jail commissary systems, though many facilities restrict book purchases through commissary and instead rely on a facility library or the publisher-direct mailing rule — where books must be shipped new, directly from a publisher or approved retailer, to be accepted. Always verify the facility's mail policy before purchasing a book as a gift for an incarcerated loved one.
Clothing and Linens
Most incarcerated people are issued a standard jail uniform, but commissary often sells personal clothing items to supplement it. These items are typically plain-colored to avoid confusion with official uniforms and are subject to strict rules about what is permitted.
Common clothing items in jail commissary include white T-shirts, underwear, socks, and sometimes thermal underwear for colder months. Shoes or slippers, often called shower slides, are available at some facilities and are one of the most requested items because facility-issued footwear is frequently uncomfortable or insufficient for daily movement.
Blankets and additional sheets may also be available through commissary in some facilities, particularly in older jails with limited linen supplies. The availability of linens through commissary is highly facility-specific. Some larger, newer detention facilities provide adequate bedding as a matter of policy; others leave it to incarcerated people and their families to supplement through commissary purchases.
Electronics and Entertainment
The availability of electronics through commissary varies significantly by facility type and security level. County jails are generally more restrictive than state prisons when it comes to personal electronics, but a meaningful number of facilities do sell commissary electronics.
Radios are the most commonly available electronic item in county jail commissary systems. They allow incarcerated people to listen to music, news, and local programming, which makes a measurable difference in morale over the course of a long pretrial stay. Radios sold through commissary are specifically cleared by the facility — they are typically clear-bodied so staff can see there is no contraband inside, and they may only accept certain types of headphones.
Tablets have become more common in jail commissary systems over the past decade. These devices are managed through contracted providers and typically offer a curated selection of music, movies, books, and educational content purchased through the device's internal store. Access to the open internet is not permitted. The tablet itself may be purchased through commissary, or it may be rented from the facility.
MP3 players, electronic word games, and in some facilities, handheld gaming devices of a specific type, may be available. The rules around what electronics are permitted change with security reviews. An item that was available when a loved one was first incarcerated may be removed from the approved list without advance notice. Families should periodically verify with the facility what is currently allowed.
Medications and Health Supplies
Over-the-counter medications are often available through jail commissary, though this category is among the most regulated. Items like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antacids, and allergy medication are sold at some facilities, while others require that all medication be dispensed only through the jail's medical unit.
Vitamins and supplements are sold through commissary at some facilities, particularly multivitamins. This matters for incarcerated people with documented dietary needs or for those who were taking supplements before their incarceration. Again, availability is facility-specific, and the medical unit's policies may override what commissary offers.
Prescription medications are always handled through the facility's medical unit and never through commissary. If a loved one has a prescription they were taking before arrest, the process for continuing that medication goes through the booking medical assessment and the jail's pharmacy relationship — not through anything a family member deposits into a commissary account.
How Much Things Cost, and How Accounts Work
Commissary prices are generally higher than retail prices for equivalent items. This reflects the vendor's distribution costs, the facility's contracted markup, and the captive nature of the market. A ramen noodle packet that retails for under twenty-five cents at a grocery store may cost sixty cents or more on a jail commissary menu.
Incarcerated people's trust accounts are funded from several sources: money deposited by family members through the facility's approved deposit system, money a person had on them at booking (which is converted to account credits), wages from facility work assignments if the jail has a work program, and court-ordered refunds in some circumstances.
Families can deposit money through the facility's contracted provider. This is almost always a third-party company that charges a transaction fee for the deposit. The fee structure varies by provider and by deposit method — depositing by card online typically carries a higher fee than depositing by money order or cash at a kiosk, depending on the provider's pricing schedule. These fees go to the vendor, not to the detained person.
What Cannot Be Purchased Through Commissary
Understanding limits is just as important as understanding what is available. Commissary systems are carefully managed to prevent the introduction of contraband, and many categories of items that incarcerated people might want are simply not available through this channel.
Tobacco products are prohibited in the overwhelming majority of county jails today, even through commissary. Some facilities made exceptions in the past, but smoking bans inside detention facilities are now standard in most jurisdictions. Alcohol is never available. Drug-adjacent items — anything that could be misused or that contains controlled substances — are excluded.
Cash, gift cards, and any transferable financial instrument cannot be purchased through commissary. Items cannot be transferred between incarcerated people's commissary accounts directly. While informal trading of commissary items does occur inside facilities, it is technically against the rules in most jails and can result in disciplinary action.
Items with specific security concerns — including anything with a camera, anything that can connect to an unauthorized network, or anything that has a non-transparent housing — will be excluded from approved item lists. The facility's security team reviews commissary lists regularly, and approved items are subject to change at any time.
How Families Can Support Through the Commissary System
The most direct thing a family member can do is deposit money into a loved one's trust account. This funds commissary purchases and may also cover phone calls and video visits, depending on how the facility structures its account systems.
The first step is identifying the correct facility. This sounds obvious, but incarcerated people are transferred between facilities more often than many families expect — especially in the days immediately after arrest, when a person may move from a police holding cell to the county jail, or between units within a large jail complex. Using a county jail inmate search to confirm the current location before depositing money prevents money from sitting in the wrong account.
Once the facility is confirmed, the family member needs to identify the approved deposit method. Most county jails contract with a single vendor for deposits, and depositing through any other channel will not work and may result in delays or fees without successful credit. The facility's official website or the booking staff can confirm the correct provider.
InMato LLC operates as a county jail inmate search and referral service — always free to search, and always pointing families toward official, licensed commissary and phone providers rather than imitation sites. This matters because some websites mimic official deposit platforms without being connected to the actual facility system, and families end up paying fees that never reach their loved one's account. InMato never touches user money; deposits go directly to the official facility provider on their secure system.
Staying Informed About What Is Currently Available
Commissary menus change. A vendor contract may expire, and a new vendor may carry a completely different product selection. Security reviews remove items. New items get added. The menu that applied last month may not be the menu available today.
The most reliable way to know what is currently available is to ask the incarcerated person directly during a call or visit. They receive the current menu and know what is in stock. If direct communication is limited, the facility's inmate services line or the commissary vendor's public-facing website may publish current menus.
Families who are supporting someone through an extended pretrial detention period benefit from staying organized about deposit timing, ordering cycles, and balance levels. If the balance runs out between ordering periods, the incarcerated person may have to wait an additional week or two before being able to purchase anything. Building a small ongoing balance rather than making infrequent large deposits often works better in practice.
InMato+ includes jail booking alerts, release alerts, transfer alerts, and court date alerts at $19.99 per month per loved one, with self-service cancellation at any time. For families managing ongoing commissary support across multiple weeks, knowing immediately when a transfer occurs — which would change the facility and the deposit system — prevents money from being deposited to the wrong account. The InMato app is designed to surface that kind of change as quickly as possible.
Thinking About What Inmates Can Buy From the Commissary in the Bigger Picture
The commissary guide is really a map of dignity during a deeply difficult time. What inmates can buy from the commissary reflects what a facility considers acceptable comfort — and understanding that list tells you a great deal about how to support someone effectively from the outside.
Families who approach commissary support strategically — starting with the right facility, using the correct deposit channel, timing deposits to align with ordering cycles, and keeping communication open — make a meaningful difference in a loved one's day-to-day experience. None of this requires spending large amounts of money. Even a modest account balance gives someone choices they would otherwise not have.
For families navigating this for the first time, the volume of unfamiliar systems — find loved one in jail free, deposit platforms, ordering cycles, approved items — can feel disorienting. InMato LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, built its platform specifically to give families a clear, honest starting point: confirm the location, get the right official provider, and understand how the system works without being misled or overcharged. InMato Core is free with no time limit and requires no account to search — making the starting line as accessible as possible regardless of a family's financial situation.
There are also 50 free guides in the InMato Family Support Library covering everything from the first 24 hours after booking through life after release. For families wondering where to begin, those guides provide context that makes the individual steps — including commissary support — easier to understand and execute.
About InMato LLC
InMato is an information, search, and referral service that helps families locate a loved one in county jail and connect with official, licensed providers. Founded by J.T. Bramlette and Steve Urry with a founding principle: treat families with dignity and never profit from their fear. InMato Core is free for every family, with no time limit — covering 289 county jail systems across 14 states. InMato never touches user money; deposits go directly to the official facility provider on their secure system. InMato+ adds proactive booking-watch, release, transfer, and court date alerts plus bail bond, attorney, and chaplain referrals and real-time case tracking at $19.99/month per loved one, cancel anytime. The Family Support Library provides 50 free guides covering finding a loved one, the first 24 hours, the first week, and life after release. Available in English and Spanish. InMato LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, headquartered in Santa Barbara, California.
Get Started with InMato LLC
Search for your loved one now at inmato.com — free for every family, with no time limit. Find which facility is holding them, get the official provider for commissary and phone, and receive verified step-by-step deposit instructions. No account required to search. Available in English and Spanish.
Originally published at https://www.inmato.com/blog/what-inmates-can-buy-from-the-commissary
Written by InMato
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