
You Won’t Believe the Food Used as Currency in Michigan Prisons
File this under "Huh, I guess that makes sense." Since the ban on cigarettes in Michigan prisons went into effect in 2009, prisoners have had to find a way to replace their most valuable form of currency: cigarettes. Though tobacco and other contraband are still tossed over fences or dropped by drones, prisons' day-to-day bartering chip has changed from cigarettes to snack food.
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Though I couldn't find a value equivalent for comparison, I found a Ranker story in which prisoners discuss what life is really like behind bars. One revealed that a college student's go-to late-night snack is now the preferred currency for those serving time in the Mitten State.
A Little Bag of Noodles Goes a Long Way in Michigan Prisons
According to an NPR interview with Michael Gibson-Light, an Assistant Professor of Sociology & Criminology at the University of Denver, the prison's "informal economy is based on ramen." Much of that has to do with what some who have spent time on the inside claim is the lack of quality food and the limited amount of servings.
You read that right. Prisoners in Michigan and around the country are using Ramen Noodles to pay each other for 'services,' black market goods, and other items you can't buy at the prison commissary.
If They've Got a CASE of Ramen, They're Doing Alright
Ramen, which those serving time call 'soup,' is a sign of wealth within the prison community. Those who are flush with it are not only not hungry, but they can also use their ramen as a bargaining chip for goods or safety.
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A Detroit Free Press states that between January and May 2020, over 2.5 million packages of ramen. Considering that the corrections population in Michigan in 2020, according to the National Institute of Corrections, was 118,778, that would be an average of 21 ramen packs per prisoner in five months.

So, how many packs of ramen do you need to have in prison to be considered well-off? Well, to accumulate more, you'd have to have more smuggled in (inmates have a monthly ramen limit at the commissary) and have a place to put it. Regardless, if you find yourself in prison, bring ramen, lots of ramen.
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