Soft drink, drink powder mix, and milk were the most popular items purchased by Canberra jail inmates in the past year.
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In total, the 400+ detainees at the Alexander Maconochie Centre spent $425,155 – at an average of $12,883 per week – on groceries through the jail's buy-up system in 2017.
ACT Corrections supplies prisoners with basic living needs, including three meals a day and clothing, however, the buy-up system allows inmates to purchase some items with money they have earnt through work or deposited into their trust accounts by family or friends.
Detainees can receive up to $150 per week from outside sources.
There are three buy-ups options available to inmates, for groceries, convenience items, and newsagency goods.
Detainees can spend up to $100 per week on grocery items, including toiletries, tinned foods, rice and noodles, confectionary, drinks, and snack foods.
A further $150 per month can be spent on activities items, such as clothing, shoes, playing cards, beauty products (such as lip balm and hand cream), and art and craft products.
Inmates can also spend a maximum of $50 per week on newsagency items, including magazines, stationery, and newspapers.
Prisoners fill out order forms each weekend and the buy-ups are delivered by staff - who double check prisoner identification against the receipt - to detainees, who must sign a receipt.
Justice and Community Safety Directorate said the top purchases at the AMC in 2017 were orange drink power (8149 units), lemon/lime drink powder (5779 units), Coca Cola 375ml can (5615 units), long life milk 1 litre (4646 units), and lemonade 375ml cans (3703 units).
ACT Corrections contracts NSW Corrective Services to supply buy-up items for the scheme.
An ACT Corrections spokesman said ACTCS does not make a profit or loss from the buy-ups process.
As well as providing prisoners with an opportunity to earn money and shop, the scheme can also be used for behaviour management.
An ACT Corrections spokesman said corrections staff had a range of detainee management strategies at the AMC, including loss of privileges.
"Loss of privileges is a sanction that can be imposed for a breach of discipline by a detainee, which can include restrictions on buy-ups," he said.
However, a detainee is still able to purchase toiletries and tobacco during any discipline period.
Most popular items purchased by prisoners at Canberra jail in 2017 were:
o Drink Powder Orange 15g – 8149 units
o Drink Powder Lemon/Lime – 5779 units
o Coca Cola 375ml can – 5615 units
o Milk Long Life Full Cream 1 Litre – 4646 units
o Lemonade 375ml can – 3703 units.
