Commissary Operations and Inmate Accounts

In the federal prison system, the commissary is the store where incarcerated people buy goods the institution does not hand out. Snacks, instant coffee, deodorant, sneakers, writing paper, stamps. Money for those purchases sits in a trust fund account tied to each person's name and register number. Family can put money in. Prison jobs pay into it. The Bureau of Prisons runs the whole arrangement under 28 C.F.R. Part 506 and Program Statement 4500.12, the Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual.

Most people read about this for one reason. Someone they know is going in, and they want to know how to send money and what it pays for. This page walks through that.

Overview

Every federal facility has a commissary. Some institutions still call it the canteen. Orders are not placed at a counter most of the time. People fill out a paper sheet or punch an order into a kiosk, and the bagged items come back on an assigned day. Each housing unit shops on its own rotating schedule. Miss your day because of work, a medical callout, or a lockdown, and you usually wait until the unit comes back around.

The prices carry a markup. Revenue from sales flows into the BOP Trust Fund, which pays for recreation equipment, the inmate email and phone systems, and other welfare programs. No tax dollars fund those programs. The commissary pays for them.

The Trust Fund Account

The account is a trust fund. The Bureau holds the money, the incarcerated person owns it. It does not earn interest. There is no debit card, no cash withdrawal, no transfer to an outside bank. The balance exists to do two things. Buy commissary items. Pay court obligations through the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program.

Money comes in from a few places. Deposits from family and friends. Wages from a prison job. Refunds, tax returns, or other money owed to the person. A federal prison job pays a low hourly rate, often a few cents to just over a dollar an hour, so for most people the account runs on what family sends.

When someone is released, the account closes. Whatever is left comes back to them, usually as a check.

There is a floor for people with nothing. The Bureau treats an account as indigent when the balance stays under a set threshold for 30 days. An indigent person still receives basic hygiene supplies and a small number of stamps for legal and personal mail at no cost.

Making Deposits

There are three ways to put money into a federal inmate account.

The mail option is the National Lockbox. You send a money order, made out to the inmate's full committed name and eight-digit register number, to the Bureau's processing center in Des Moines, Iowa (Federal Bureau of Prisons, P.O. Box 474701, Des Moines, IA 50947-0001). Mailed deposits take the longest to clear, often a week or more.

The two faster options are electronic. MoneyGram and Western Union both move money into BOP accounts, usually within a day. The sender needs the inmate's register number and committed name, and a receive code for the Bureau. Fees are higher than the mail route, and per-transaction caps apply.

A few rules trip people up. Do not put a letter, a photo, or anything else in with a mailed money order. The Lockbox processes payment only and returns the rest. Personal checks and cash are not accepted. The name and register number have to match the Bureau's records exactly, or the deposit bounces back.

What Inmates Can Buy

The list changes by facility and gets updated a few times a year, but the categories hold steady across the system.

Food and drink make up most of an order. Instant coffee, tea, ramen, tuna and chicken pouches, chips, cookies, candy, drink mixes. People cook with these. A meal built from commissary ingredients and a microwave is a fixture of prison life.

Hygiene and personal care. Toothpaste, deodorant, soap, shampoo, lotion, razors. The institution issues a basic version of some of these, but the commissary version is the one most people want.

Stamps and stationery. Books of stamps, envelopes, paper, pens. Stamps double as informal currency inside, which is part of why the Bureau watches stamp volume.

Clothing and shoes. Athletic shoes, sweatpants, sweatshirts, thermal layers, socks, underwear. Shoes are the big-ticket item and people save for them.

Some facilities sell small electronics, like a radio or an MP3 player loaded through the institution's system. Over-the-counter medicines such as pain relievers and antacids are also stocked.

What is not sold matters too. No alcohol, no weapons, nothing the Bureau flags as a security risk. Trading or selling commissary items to other inmates is prohibited and can draw a disciplinary write-up.

Spending Limits

There is a cap on how much a person can spend at commissary each month. Across the federal system that cap is $360. A commissary price list published by FCI Morgantown states the spending limit plainly as "$360 Monthly," and the figure is standard Bureau-wide.

The cap does not cover everything. Postage stamps do not count against it. Over-the-counter medications do not count at most institutions. Phone credit and the email system are billed separately through the Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System, so they sit outside the commissary limit entirely. A person can hit the $360 ceiling on food and goods and still buy stamps and load phone time.

The cap is a separate thing from how much money the account holds. Family can deposit more than $360 in a month. The person just cannot spend more than $360 on commissary goods in that month. The rest stays in the account.

The Inmate Financial Responsibility Program changes the math for many people. IFRP is the Bureau's mechanism for collecting court-ordered financial obligations, mainly restitution, fines, and special assessments. A person who owes restitution sets up a payment schedule, and the Bureau pulls payments straight from the trust fund account on that schedule. Money family sends can be reduced by an IFRP payment before it ever reaches the commissary.

IFRP is technically voluntary. Refusing it carries cost. A person who declines to participate, or falls behind, is placed in IFRP refused status. That status caps commissary spending far below the normal limit and strips other privileges, including better housing, performance pay, and assignment to a UNICOR job.

In December 2024 the Bureau proposed changes to the IFRP rules that would expand how much of an account it can reach for restitution. The proposal drew heavy public comment and remains a point of dispute among defense attorneys and reform advocates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the federal prison commissary?

The commissary is the store inside a federal prison where incarcerated people buy goods the institution does not provide, such as snacks, coffee, hygiene products, stamps, and clothing. Purchases are paid for from a trust fund account held in the person's name. Some facilities call it the canteen.

Q: How much can a federal inmate spend at commissary per month?

The monthly commissary spending limit across the federal system is $360. Postage stamps and, at most institutions, over-the-counter medications do not count toward that limit. Phone and email are billed separately and also fall outside the cap.

Q: How do I send money to a federal inmate?

There are three ways. Mail a money order to the National Lockbox in Des Moines, Iowa, made out to the inmate's committed name and register number. Or send funds electronically through MoneyGram or Western Union, which usually clear within a day. Cash and personal checks are not accepted.

Q: What is the address for the BOP National Lockbox?

Money orders are mailed to Federal Bureau of Prisons, P.O. Box 474701, Des Moines, IA 50947-0001. The inmate's full committed name and eight-digit register number must be on the money order. Do not enclose letters or photos, because the Lockbox processes payment only.

Q: Does money sent to an inmate get taken for restitution?

It can. Under the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program, a person who owes restitution, fines, or assessments has payments pulled from the trust fund account on a set schedule. Deposits from family can be reduced by an IFRP payment before the money is available to spend at commissary.

Q: What happens to the account balance when someone is released?

The trust fund account closes at release and the remaining balance is returned to the person, usually as a check. The account holds no interest and cannot be transferred to an outside bank during incarceration.