Barter = exchange, haggle, swap, trade, traffic

Since we don't have any money here in prison, we are forced to go back to the Middle Ages to get many things we want by bartering. Yes, we have a commissary, but there are goods and services that the commissary doesn't provide, such as shoe repair, books, or extra ingredients on demand for that scrumptious spread you and your cellmate are throwing together.

For instance, my shoes were coming apart at the seams. Instead of spending $35 on a new pair through the commissary, I paid a guy a jar of hair grease and a couple Ramen soups to sew them up. This was about $3 worth of goods given to a guy who doesn't have any way of having commissary unless he works for it every now and then.

This system of bartering is in place despite the institutional rule against "trafficking and trading." This rule makes even giving away food to friends who are hungry unlawful. Needless to say, most guys ignore this rule. Every night there are groups of people in the day room sitting around a table digging into the same prsion pizza. And when someone leaves to go home, they often give away their useful items like shoes, hot pots, and radios.

Giving away these items also opens the market for a new service - forgery. Special purchase items, such as those useful items mentioned above, require property papers to prove ownership.When guys receive these items, whether by trade or gift, they need the property papers and etching to really make the items theirs. This is to prevent valuable items from being stolen. There are a few people who offer forged property papers and re-surfacing/re-etching to keep the items legitimate and in use.

Then there are the specific items that often can't be found in the dorm. Things like speakers and specific books often need word-of-mouth sent out around the unit to see if anyone has the goods or services you're looking for. I did this for two role-playing books that I needed to start up a game. The two books I found were being traded for about $10 worth of coffee and stamps, quite a deal for what are usually found in the free world for at least $50 new. The trade took place over a few days because it's tough to get stuff from one side of the unit to the other.

Just like when I lived in Africa, haggling is a valuable skill to have. Also, knowing the character of the person you trade with is important. Maybe I'm naive but I tend to trust people in transactions. I've been burned a couple times, but both times the transaction was eventually worked out. It's all in the wacky character of the market.