Under One Prison Vender, Some Commissary Prices Skyrocket Up To 88%

Date:  09-09-2025 When you make pennies on the dollar, every price increase makes a dent. But these hikes were exceptional.

From Chastyn Hicks of the Prison Journalism Project Late last year, Arizona’s only approved commissary vendor reached an agreement with the state prison system to raise prices on 101 commissary items. That action from Keefe Commissary Network covered about 11% of the 900 retail goods sold by our commissary, or prison general store. It was the first price increase since July 10, 2022, according to a notification sent to all Arizona prisoners through an app on our personal tablets. “In my 22 years in Arizona prisons, this was the largest price increase I’ve ever seen,” said resident Allen Pacheco. Continue reading >>>