KYOTO--To a prison inmate, even a small box of cookies given by a visitor offers a brief escape from the harsh life behind bars.

The snacks, a "gift" delivered from a prison commissary to recipients, served as a source of comfort and solace for some inmates as they struggled to adapt to their new, tough environment.

But the rising costs of living, a major headache for consumers, has also taken a toll on the lives of inmates as dozens of prison commissaries have been shut down due to their “unprofitability.”

SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO

A 37-year-old detainee who spent two years in the Kyoto Detention House recalled his astonishment when the facility announced in March 2024 that the commissary would close from the following month.

“The news sent shock waves among the inmates,” the man said.

Whenever his mother and lawyer visited him, he asked them to buy a box of six chocolate cookies sold at the shop and have it delivered to him as a present.

The only time that he was allowed out of his 5-square-meter single cell was for a daily exercise session, which lasted 30 to 60 minutes, and when investigators questioned him.

The man said he was not particularly fond of sweets prior to his detention.

“But the box of cookies felt as important as even my own life since I was living a stressful life and I desperately needed something to ease my frustration with,” he said.

While inmates at penal institutions are restricted from using the shop, visitors can purchase goods, such as clothing, daily necessities and books, there and have them delivered to inmates.

The man, a defendant in a trial, is afforded more privileges than prisoners serving their sentences in the variety of goods he is allowed access to, including food products, in the form of a gift from a visitor.

Still, these were limited to items sold at the commissary. 

The restriction prevents possible smuggling of an illegal drug or other forbidden articles hidden in a box of snacks or beverages.

LONG WAIT FOR PURCHASES

By the end of March, 76 commissaries at the nation’s penal institutions, a large majority of such outlets, have been closed after their operator withdrew from the prison business.

A Justice Ministry official acknowledged that the closure of the shops is “not desirable,” but added that inmates still can buy items they need with a cash gift from a visitor or with their own funds.

Inmates can purchase the goods through prison officers, who take their orders and place them with a dealer.

But such an arrangement is available two to three times a week to those standing trial and once or so a month to convicted criminals, meaning that they will have to wait days or longer until they finally get their purchases.

In addition, there is a limit on how many items that inmates can buy on each purchase.

The detainee at the Kyoto Detention House said when the commissary was open, he could receive the gift the same day at the earliest after seeing a visitor.

But it now takes three to five days.

This time lag appears to make a significant difference to the emotional well-being of some inmates.

Another detainee at the Kyoto Detention House said receiving a gift soon after a visit by his mother or friends allowed him to “feel connected to the outside world.”

“It warmed my heart,” the man, 55, said. “Just getting cash feels too dry.”

COMMISSARIES NOT PROFITABLE

The shop operator, a player in the private sector, replaced its predecessor, which was an incorporated foundation, in 2011 after the then Democratic Party of Japan took power from the Liberal Democratic Party.

Multiple companies came forward when the Democratic Party-led government publicly solicited applications for the first time to operate commissaries at penal institutions as part of efforts to streamline public-sector related businesses.

But in the last two bid solicitations, held every five years, there were no applicants other than the same company that landed the contract in 2011. 

The ministry said the operator had conveyed its plan to pull out about two years ago, saying a steep rise in labor costs and inflation made continuing the prison operation financially unfeasible.

The operator was cautious about raising prices because passing on cost increases would impact inmates.

The prices were set higher than those of retailers outside due in part to increased shipping costs to the correctional facilities.

Furthermore, demands for goods at the stores are forecast to continue to shrink based on inmate population trends over the years.

The number of inmates across the nation decreased 40 percent to around 40,000 at the end of 2023 from about 70,000 12 years earlier, according to ministry data.

NOT TRIVIAL TO INMATES

Ryota Ishigawa, a Kyoto Bar Association lawyer, calls the current practice of penal facilities denying inmates presents from visitors “abnormal.”

“You may dismiss the issue just a trivial matter involving snacks, but it hits hard those whose freedom is restricted,” he said.

Ishigawa noted that the Criminal Procedure Law bans the restriction on the offers of food by visitors to defendants.

“It could constitute a violation of the law if penal institutions continue to effectively deny detainees food gifts from visitors while leaving the commissaries closed,” he said.

Being unable to receive goods they need on a regular basis can affect the mental health of some inmates.

When lawyer Ryota Ikeda made a monthly visit to the Kyoto Detention House, he bought several bars of medicated soaps at the commissary for his client who is serving time there.

The inmate becomes mentally unstable if he cannot wash his hands frequently with medicated soap.

A bar of soap is among government hygiene products issued to each inmate.

But since it was not the kind the prisoner preferred, the inmate purchased medicated soaps via prison officers.

When he was caught borrowing one from a cellmate because he was short on such sundries, he was punished for breaking the rule prohibiting lending and borrowing in the prison.

Visitors can bring gifts after purchasing them outside the gates, rather than at a prison commissary, but inmates can receive them only after they are checked and cleared by the guards.

Clothes with strings or metal fittings and undergarments made with an elastic material are barred because they could be used for suicide or escape attempts.

Lotions that contain alcohol are also basically prohibited due to the potential for being consumed as an alcoholic beverage.

Prison commissaries sell only items that are sanctioned, making them convenient for visitors.

The ministry is now in the process of selecting a future operator of the shops for a new five-year contract from fiscal 2026.

Unlike in the past, the ministry has dropped the requirement of staffing the shops and instead approved the installation of a self-ordering terminal.

The ministry also reviewed the assortment of products sold at the commissaries.

One item that was scratched from the list of always-in-stock products was fresh flowers.

Fresh flowers were popular with inmates, but they were dropped because of the additional shipping costs to the institutions.