In 2023, many people felt the impact of rising inflation and low wages across the U.S. That’s particularly true behind bars, where people are often made to work — or face consequences like solitary confinement — for little pay, with an average max at 52 cents. Some states don’t pay incarcerated laborers at all.
But debate around what makes a fair wage is often focused on job markets that exist in the free world. The ways in which inflation and markups can affect incarcerated people is similarly often underreported and not widely understood or known.
The Marshall Project has reported on these topics in various ways in its written stories. Audience Engagement Producer Chris Vazquez and Audience Director Ashley Dye felt strongly about bringing this reporting to young, diverse audiences through social video. On certain parts of TikTok, creators and commenters talked about how the economy impacted their lives — The Marshall Project aimed to help move these conversations toward criminal justice.
So, Vazquez established a mini series for TikTok that reveals the realities of prison wages and commissary prices — and the ways in which prison labor contributes to the free world. The series also includes incarcerated people’s experiences, so as to not miss the human impact.
