For years, site commissions have been a quiet line in jail budgets. That line is under pressure. Phone and video commissions are now prohibited by the FCC. States including California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Colorado and Connecticut have moved to free calls, and some cap commissary markups. Agencies need a defensible answer for what their service contracts deliver.
The economics, in round numbers
Take a 1,000-bed facility with an estimated $1.8 million a year in commissary and media spend. Waiving a typical commissary and media commission frees roughly $170,000 to $396,000 a year. That fully funds a rebate program at the rates below.
- 3% rebate: about $54,000 a year, or $54 per person
- 5% rebate: about $90,000 a year, or $90 per person
- 10% rebate: about $180,000 a year, or $180 per person
These are estimates, and every facility is different. The point is that the money already exists in the contract.
What the agency gets in return
- A reportable outcome: dollars placed into release savings, per person and in total.
- A published pass-through audit that shows spend in, value returned and zero commissions.
- A program that aligns with state reform direction instead of resisting it.
- Data a county board or funder can use to evaluate reentry impact.
What about statutes that require a welfare fund?
Some statutes, such as California Penal Code 4025, set rules for inmate welfare funds. Where the law requires it, CRP supports a split: part of the value goes to the individual and part to the welfare fund. The rules engine is configured per jurisdiction and reviewed by counsel.
Protecting the money from garnishment
A rebate dropped into an ordinary trust account can be taken for fees and obligations before the person ever sees it. CRP defaults to closed-loop store credit or a statutory release savings sub-account, such as the one Washington requires under RCW 72.09.111.
Working with your current vendor
Most agencies are in multi-year contracts. CRP is designed as a white-label rewards and savings layer that sits on top of an existing vendor's data feed, so an agency does not need to rebid to start. Contract renewal is the natural point to write value returned to incarcerated people into the scoring criteria.
Starting with a shadow pilot
The first step is a shadow pilot. CRP ingests a facility's spend data, calculates what each rate would return, and produces the audit report, all without moving any money. The agency sees the numbers before committing to anything.
If your agency is approaching a commissary or tablet contract renewal, request a pilot conversation through our contact page.