By Eric Allen

Despite legislators’ efforts to prevent price gouging on canteen prices in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, residents at San Quentin have been experiencing price increases on popular canteen items for months.

In the 2023-24 session, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 474, requiring the CDCR to maintain a canteen at every functioning institution under its jurisdiction.

SB 474 states that sale prices inside the canteen should not exceed a 35% markup above the amount paid to the vendor. But an audit report of the Inmate Welfare Fund revealed that CDCR had markup rates on canteen items as much as 65%.

The bill was created to ease financial burdens on inmates and their loved ones, protecting them from financial instability proven to have disproportionately negative effects on impoverished communities and people of color, according to the Senate bill.

On Dec. 19, 2025, a memorandum regarding commissary price increases was issued to the inmate population via tablet notifications.

Ignacio Sanchez-Gomez is a resident at San Quentin and works as a building porter. He gets paid for three hours a day, although his duties usually require him to work longer.

Porters inside of San Quentin can be paid as little as $0.08 an hour, depending on their job and how long they have worked.

“The $10 I make a month can only go so far. I can only buy hygiene now, no food. It’s too expensive,” said Sanchez Garcia.

Being able to purchase canteen items including food, hygiene products, and stamps and envelopes to maintain family ties can help residents maintain their mental health and positive outlooks on their situations.

Incarcerated people will now have to receive fewer items and accept the spike in prices.

Another financial burden placed on some inmates is the restitution fines courts order them to pay, including compensation for victims and court fees. CDCR confiscates 50% of any money an inmate receives from family or work in order to cover restitution costs.

Candies such as Reese’s peanut butter cups and Payday candy bars, for example, have increased from $1.20 to $1.55. The price of popular food items like shredded beef increased more than a dollar, from $2.85 to $3.95.

Resident B. Johnson said the popular food items that many shoppers purchase, including salmon, mackerel, and oysters have all gone up by an average of 30 cents.

“I believe the people who supply items for the prison’s canteen and the people who are contracted to provide the food for the institution work together,” said Johnson. “The chow hall food is so bad that it forces people to go to the canteen and spend more.”

A 2020 survey conducted by Impact Justice found that 60% of formerly incarcerated people were unable to afford commissary while in prison. Meanwhile, 75% reported they did not have enough food because they were unable to afford items sold in canteen.

An increase of ten cents for items may sound small, but with the price hike of canteen items, an incarcerated worker will now have to work an additional two hours to make up the difference.

“It’s just too much. They are taking advantage of us with these high prices,” said Garcia.