You be the judge: Are these jail prices criminal?

A reader asked a good question about today’s story on the Ramen noodle craze at the Harris County jail.

The story reported that inmates purchased more than 3 million noodle packs last year, but also detailed how inmates buy other food, clothes and personal hygiene items when they’re serving time or awaiting trial. Here’s the gist:

The noodles are the most popular among more than 100 items for sale at the commissary, including personal-hygiene supplies, medicines and clothing.

The proceeds from those sales help the department fund jail improvements and inmate services.

Jail officials say access to the goods serves as a control mechanism aimed at keeping inmates happy — even though some complain about the cost and quality — by offering a small taste of freedom.

“The small luxuries mean the world to them when they’re in here,” said Maj. Kim Stelter, who heads the department’s Support Services Bureau. “It’s also beneficial to the taxpayers, because a lot of this offsets costs.”

The reader asked why the prices weren’t listed in the story. That’s a good question, given that one of the chief complaints among the inmates is that the items are too pricey. (Jail officials say they try to keep the prices reasonable).

We did list the divergent prices that jail officials and inmates pay for Ramen noodles — and how much the county’s profits. But many of the other items don’t seem too expensive: perhaps between what a Wal-Mart and a convenience store might charge.

http://www.nissinfoods.com/recipes/recipes_main.php