We have had similar questions on Ask the Inmate and have responded very honestly. Some inmates in your spouse's situation will work out a deal to "use the commissary account" of another inmate. You place the money in the other inmate's account and they buy the items your spouse wants. The inmates charge a fee which is usually some percentage of the total money deposited to buy some things for themselves. This is a common inmate-to-inmate service that is against policy but it happens a lot and the sheriffs do not seek to aggressively enforce it unless the two inmates end up fighting over the process.
https://www.inmateaid.com/ask-the-inmate/my-inmates-commissary-account-being-garnished-is-another-way-to-get-him-commissary-money#answer
Accepted Answer Date Created: April 17,2016