Commissary

Twenty-two states have laws requiring prisons to provide free menstrual products, but not all of them do.

Spending Christmas in prison and away from my family leaves me depressed. But, after the guys on my unit started a Secret Santa, I briefly felt a happiness that eluded me for years.

From changing policy to helping people get a shot at freedom, we’re proud of the vital work we published in 2024.

The Appeal’s 9-month investigation uncovered prison commissaries’ exploitative, inconsistent systems with inside prices up to five times higher than in the community and markups as high as 600 percent.

Inside The Appeal’s 9-month investigation.