Prison Tokens, Coupons and Scrip of the United States and Canada

Recently added to Newman Portal, courtesy of authors Bob Hewey and Jim Delaney, is the book Prison Tokens, Coupons and Scrip of the United States and Canada. The foreword summarizes: “You may ask, ‘why were there special kinds of money used in prisons, jail and reformatories?’ There are good reasons not to allow legal tender coins and bills in the hands of prisoners. The ready availability of such currency could encourage bribery, extortion, gambling and facilitate acquisition of contraband and escapes. Still, there needs to be some type of money so that inmates can purchase discretionary items, such as snacks, tobacco, toiletries and reading and writing supplies. This catalog will focus on the token coinage and scrip issued to address these problems in the United States and Canada.” The main body of the book consists of a state by state (and province) listing of known issues, and a quick check of ebay reveals an active collector market for these money substitutes. Tokens appear to be the most common form of prison money, struck in base metals at minimal cost. Various shapes are encountered, perhaps to discourage counterfeiting, including quatrefoils and octagons. Plastic and wooden pieces also appear in the series. One finds also scrip and coupon books, the latter used to suppress trading between prisoners, who must present the book along with the coupon. This is a scheme shared used by universities, when distributing student tickets for athletic events.Link to Prison Tokens, Coupons and Scrip of the United States and Canada on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/589917