Reentry savings for incarcerated people
Gate money, built up over time.
Families spend billions a year on commissary, tablets and messages for people inside. Today none of it comes back. CRP returns a share as store credit or a locked savings account paid out on release day, replacing facility commissions instead of adding to them.
Example: a 1,000-bed jail (estimate)
| Rebate rate | Per year | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| 3% | $54K | $54 |
| 5% | $90K | $90 |
| 10% | $180K | $180 |
Based on roughly $1.8M a year in spend. Waiving a typical commission frees $170K to $396K a year, enough to fund any of these rates.
The money already moves. It just moves the wrong way.
$5.6B+
Estimated yearly spend on prison telecom, commissary, transfers and packages
16–35%
Reported commission range facilities take on commissary sales
~$947
Average commissary spend per person per year, mostly paid by families
~$53
Average state gate money handed out at release
How CRP works
Three steps. No new fees, no card required, and no commission to anyone.
1. Spend comes in
Purchases on commissary, tablet media, messaging, money transfer and care packages are recorded from the vendor’s existing data feed.
2. Value is credited
A set percentage is credited to the person under rules for their jurisdiction: store credit now, or savings locked until release.
3. Savings at the gate
At discharge the balance is released, fee-free, alongside wages and any philanthropic match.
Built for the people who decide
Sheriffs & corrections agencies
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Families
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Funders & researchers
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Common questions
- What is CRP?
- CRP, the Commissary Rebate Program, returns a share of what incarcerated people and their families spend on commissary, tablet media, messaging, money transfer and care packages. The value comes back as closed-loop store credit or into a locked savings account released at discharge.
- Who pays for the rebate?
- The rebate replaces facility commissions. When an agency waives its commission, that money funds the rebate at no extra cost to families or taxpayers. Vendors can also fund it from margin.
- Can the money be garnished?
- CRP routes value to destinations that can be protected by law in each jurisdiction, such as store credit or a statutory release savings account like Washington’s RCW 72.09.111. Rules are set per jurisdiction and reviewed by counsel.
- Does CRP hold people’s money?
- No. CRP keeps a ledger of earned value. Any real money movement runs through a licensed money transmitter or sponsor bank.
- Does CRP take a commission?
- No. CRP contractually commits to no commissions, open pricing and published pass-through audits.
From the blog
Where the commissary dollar goes, and why none of it comes back
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Gate money is $53. Here is what the first week of reentry costs.
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Replacing commissions: a practical guide for sheriffs and county boards
Learn more →
Talk to us about a shadow pilot
We run the numbers on your facility's real spend data, with no money moving, so you can see exactly what CRP would return.
Request a pilot