CANTEEN PRIVILEGES FOR INMATES AT VSPW
Women inmates are allowed to "shop" at the canteens that are at VSPW. They don't actually go into a store and pick out things at random. They have to fill out a list ahead of time, and then once every thirty days they are allowed to pick up their purchases. People in Ad Seg and the SHU will have their items delivered to them.
There is one canteen on each yard (A,B,C, and D Yards).
Everyone is allowed to 'shop' once every thirty days. The amount that an inmate can shop is based on her 'Privilege Group'. Most of the women on the general yards are considered A1-A Working (they program, etc.), and they can purchase up to $180 worth of items each month. A Yard women mostly shop for $90 worth of items right now, and the Ad Seg and SHU women are alloed $45 worth of items.
This WILL BE CHANGING in the future. It has recently been decided to raise the amounts, but it is expected that it will not happen until some time next spring, 2011. Once this happens, the amounts will be bumped up to $220 for the majority of women, $110 for A Yard, and $55 for Ad Seg and the SHU.
70% of the items on the canteen list are contract driven. That means that these items are purchased through standard existing contracts with CDCR. 30% of the items allowed in the Canteen are non-contract, and are placed and/or removed from the Canteen list by the inmates, by vote. The Womens Advisory Committee (WAC) are the representatives that make these decisions.
Following is a copy of the February 2009 Canteen list. This list is NOT the current list, and it changes every month. This sample is only here to give you an example of what your loved one might see monthly.
I'd like to give you an example of items that might be changed. The February 2009 list has "playing cards" listed under MISCELLANEOUS. This was just changed to "emery boards" in March.
There is a LEGEND on this copy of the Canteen list that will tell you which items are contract, and which items can be changed by the WAC.
I apologize for the size of these picture files -- I only had a scan of this to provide for you. I hope this gives you a better understanding of the Canteen system at VSPW.
There is one canteen on each yard (A,B,C, and D Yards).
Everyone is allowed to 'shop' once every thirty days. The amount that an inmate can shop is based on her 'Privilege Group'. Most of the women on the general yards are considered A1-A Working (they program, etc.), and they can purchase up to $180 worth of items each month. A Yard women mostly shop for $90 worth of items right now, and the Ad Seg and SHU women are alloed $45 worth of items.
This WILL BE CHANGING in the future. It has recently been decided to raise the amounts, but it is expected that it will not happen until some time next spring, 2011. Once this happens, the amounts will be bumped up to $220 for the majority of women, $110 for A Yard, and $55 for Ad Seg and the SHU.
70% of the items on the canteen list are contract driven. That means that these items are purchased through standard existing contracts with CDCR. 30% of the items allowed in the Canteen are non-contract, and are placed and/or removed from the Canteen list by the inmates, by vote. The Womens Advisory Committee (WAC) are the representatives that make these decisions.
Following is a copy of the February 2009 Canteen list. This list is NOT the current list, and it changes every month. This sample is only here to give you an example of what your loved one might see monthly.
I'd like to give you an example of items that might be changed. The February 2009 list has "playing cards" listed under MISCELLANEOUS. This was just changed to "emery boards" in March.
There is a LEGEND on this copy of the Canteen list that will tell you which items are contract, and which items can be changed by the WAC.
I apologize for the size of these picture files -- I only had a scan of this to provide for you. I hope this gives you a better understanding of the Canteen system at VSPW.
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BACK PAGE CANTEEN LIST