We published an article, "The Donkey- Brain Awards, The Worst in the Prisons." In it we listed the Pennsylvania prisons which were the worst in various categories. One of the Donkey-Brained was the commissary at the state prison at Frackville in east central Pennsylvania. A few readers criticized our judgment that the Frackville commissary was by far the worst in the state. By way of response, we publish the actual commissary list from Frackville prison. Please note how very few items are available, how very limited the assortment is and how very expensive the items are. How is a man expected to feed and care for himself given the fact that he earns only about $15 a month? Except for rare purchases such as sneakers, the prison commissary is the only store where a prisoner may spend his money. It's a monopoly and it's often used to heighten the deprivation and punishment. Almost everything that's sold at Frackville is generic or off brands. Much of the food is branded "Toms." Most things are seconds. Clothing items are garbage made in prison sweatshops. The item marked "soup" is a mix made by Nissin. The "cheese" is a synthetic cheese spread sold by Keefe. There is no way to cook or heat anything and no bowls are available. When given the opportunity to comment on why the selection was so very poor, the Frackville commissary manager expressed his snide contempt for the prisoners with "my heart goes out to you!" It isn't from simple laziness, or from lack of space. The Frackville commissary is bad from vindictiveness to deprive the men of decent treatment. It reflects the regressive mentality of the whole place; hurt the prisoners. It's worth noting that prisoners must wait outside in the weather to spend their pennies. The guards are too afraid to have them inside. Frackville Prison Commissary List Front Frackville Prison Commissary List Back