December 2022 pricing update can be found here
The September 2022 Keefe Commissary pricelist can be viewed and downloaded here. Although this list was obtained through a public records request, it appears to be missing at least a few items. A few of the missing notables include:
#9480 Amp’d 15″ TV — $287.43
#7015 TV remote control (sold separately) — $13.79
#1272 Timex Ironman Watch T5k821 — $61.17
#3515 Digital alarm clock — $22.98
Those who are curious about the items that are not listed in the document are welcome to inquire by commenting below, or through the Idaho Inmate Family Support Group on Facebook.
In order to illuminate how revenue sharing arrangements influence the way DOC contracts are awarded, the text below was transcribed from “Concession Services Agreement for Full Service Commissary Services and Account Management Services,” an agreement between Keefe and the Idaho Department of Correction. Other paragraphs from the contract are provided to show protocols and information that can be used in making additional pubic records requests.
Minimum Annual Guarantee (pg. 4, sec. 8)
For the Purposes of this Agreement, Keefe will remit to IDOC a minimum annual guarantee (MAG) commission of $1,250,000.00. The MAG will be split into 12 equal payments of $104,166.77 and is due by the 15th of each month for the prior month. The first MAG payment will be made by Keefe on or before June 15, 2015 and represents the MAG due for May, 2015. Payment of the MAG can be made by check or direct deposit/ ACH/ EFT transfer as mutually agreed in writing.
Revenue Sharing (pg. 4, sec. 9)
In addition to the MAG, Keefe shall pay a revenue sharing percentage of forty percent (40%) for all sales above Base Sales. By way of example only, if annual Gross Sales increase to $7,000,000 for the then-current Agreement Year ($7,000,000 – 6,150,000 = $850,000 * .40 = $340,000). Revenue sharing payments shall be paid to IDOC within thirty (30) days of the end of each Agreement Year with payment being made by check or direct deposit/ ACH/ EFT transfer as mutually agreed in writing.
Product Offerings (pg. 14, sec. 17.1)
Keefe shall provide a wide variety of products, to include a national name brand name and private label items, for shelf-stable (no refrigeration needed) products that include single-serve options for food stuffs as well as consumables, hard goods, clothing and electronics.
a. All product offerings must be approved in writing by IDOC prior to being made available to inmates.
b. Keefe may include its private label offerings provided such private label items make up no more than 35% of the master minimum custody and SecurePak menus combined.
c. IDOC reserves the right to make all product offering decisions and may require the removal from or refuse to allow the introduction of any product into IDOC Facilities at any time.
Pricing (pg. 15, sec. 17.3)
Keefe shall ensure that prices charged to Inmates for commissary items are comparable to cost of similar goods available at convenience stores within the Boise/Meridian/Nampa, Idaho marketplace and within the western U.S. state prison systems with similar full-service commissary programs, if any.
Pricing Changes (pg. 15, sec. 17.4)
After the first Agreement Year and annually thereafter, Keefe may request pricing adjustments by submitting a written request to the Contract Manager. Any such written request must include labor and overhead increases and/or market, wholesale and manufacturing justifications for any requested increase. Only those pricing changes that can be supported with objective market data, including any labor or overhead increases, will be considered. Any approved pricing changes will go into effect no sooner than (30) days after Keefe receives written approval from IDOC, if given. Keefe shall provide inmates with at least fifteen (15) days’ prior written notice of any price increase.
Commissary Review Committee Meeting (pg. 16, sec. 17.7)
IDOC shall conduct semi-annual Commissary Review Committee meetings. In accordance with SOP 406.02.01.001, these meetings shall consist of representatives from the Facilities, the Contract Manager, other IDOC staff, the commissary account manager, the warehouse/commissary operations supervisor and other employees as desired by Keefe.
Keefe may request product offering additions, deletions, or substitutions by submitting a written request to the Contract Manager at least forty-five (45) days’ prior to the meeting. Keefe is required to bring samples of new or substitute product offerings to the meetings for review and approval by IDOC. Samples will be retained by IDOC until all internal stakeholders have reviewed them and will then be returned to Keefe. Approved product offering adjustments and product removals, if any, will be implemented on a date mutually agreed to by Keefe and the contract manager and communicated to the Inmate population by Keefe at least fifteen (15) days in advance.
Regrettably, the following IDOC record requests that were submitted April’22 have yet to be provided in accordance with Idaho records law:
-
-
- Keefe sales volume reports for the weeks of 7-15-21 and 1-21-22
- Notes, minutes and documents from the two commissary review committee meetings prior to 4-19-22, as well as all written requests submitted to the contract manager prior to these meetings
- Revenue payments made from Keefe to IDOC from March ’21 to March ’22.
-
I attempted to follow up on these requests in July, but as of September 20, 2022 the IDOC has only returned silence.
A May 2022 article describing questionable Keefe price increases was published earlier in First Amend This!: An IDOC Newsletter, May ’22
*Update 10-22-2022*
The following message, received 10-21-2022, announces the return of several items taken off in May, with many marked up by more than 100% of their previous price. This despite Keefe confirming in an April 12 message that price increases would remain consistent with the consumer price index.
Per their contract with the IDOC, these prices could only be implemented with Department approval; but as of 10-22-2022, the Department has yet to provide the aforementioned public records requested in April, which are required to further audit its dealings with Keefe.
What follows has been reformatted to allow for easy transfer to a spreadsheet using comma separated values (CSV). Please check back for updates.
TO: IDOC RESIDENTS
FROM: KEEFE COMMISSARY NETWORK
DATE: 10-21-2022
Keefe Commissary’s new menu will go into effect on October 31, 2022. Below are the items that have been approved and will be available to purchase next month.
Item Number, Alias Number, Product, Price
5070, 6600, Cactus Annies Flour Tortillas, $2.03
382, 6502, Van Holten Kosher Zesty Pickles, $1.86
383, 6500, Van Holten Hot Pickles, $1.86
5360, 6195, Brushy Creek Premium Chicken Breast, $7.07
80001719, 3547, Brushy Creek Beef Summer Sausage 5oz, $4.27
80001721, 3546, Brushy Creek Beef Summer Sausage 5oz Hot, $4.27
629, 2397, Mountain Dew 20oz, $2.25,
80009328, 3274, Market Square Iced Honey Bun, $2.07
5375, 6201, Moon Lodge Microwave Popcorn Extra Butter, $0.93
4915, 2630, Brushy Creek Black Beans 10oz Pouch, $2.55
5368, 6215, El Pato Salsa Green Jalapeno 12 oz, $3.28
80003625, 3203, Painted Cow Cream Cheese 2oz, $0.89
8301201015, 8338, Snark Guitar Tuner, $40.00
80008841, 2796, Hereford Beef Barbacoa 6oz Pouch, $6.23
7914, 3107, Golden Valley Saltine Crackers, $4.27
4385, 6178, Fresh Catch Mackerel Fillets in Oil 3.53oz Pouch, $2.15
80008478, 1784, Colgate Toothpaste Optic White, $9.00
3092, 6673, Thai Palace Noodles Chili 3.7oz Pouch, $1.90
4935, 2664, Velveeta Macaroni and Cheese 3oz, $1.90
7551, 6607, Moon Lodge Peanuts Hot 1.75oz, $0.77
4466, 2340, Gatorade Drink Mix Lemon Lime 2.12oz, $1.45
80005732, 3026, Chattanooga Moon Pie Chocolate Double Decker 2.75oz, $1.19
80005515, 3039, Gamesa Maria’s Cookies 4.94oz, $1.20
80009462, 4901, Oscar Meyer Bacon (Precooked) 2.52oz, $11.64
21596, 784, Staydent Denture Adhesive Cream 2.4oz, $6.45
24310, 330, Athletes Choice Amino 100Ct, $19.40
2015, 6106, Pretzels 1.5oz, $0.90
10596, 2044, Paramount Creamer French Vanilla Non-Dairy 6.75oz, $2.40
10057, 3030, Market Square Cookies Vanilla Cremes 6oz, $1.90
10058, 3045, Market Square Cookies Duplex Cremes 6oz, $1.90
10446, 2737, Fritos Chili Cheese Corn Chips 2oz, $0.97
7689, 6167, Cheetos Cheese Crunch 2oz, $0.97
80002250, 8341, Halls Cough Drops (Sugar Free) Honey Lemon, $3.62
5112, 6165, Moon Lodge Potato Chips BBQ 6oz, $2.83
80007935, 8342, Werthers Candy (Sugar Free) 7.7oz, $12.10
80009303, 3052, Market Square Cookies Vanilla Wafers 12oz, $3.03
8032302002, 8356, Pro Club T-Shirt Heavyweight Long Sleeve Crewneck Sm Grey, $14.17
5310302002, 8370, Pro Club T-Shirt Short Sleeve Crewneck Small Grey, $11.70
21986, 3692, Goodsense Contact Solution Multipurpose No Rub 12oz, $7.31
Thank you,
Keefe Commissary
My son would like to get a television. He is at St Anthony Work Camp. His name is Jason Hall ID# 0119063. How does that become available and what is the cost?
Hi Susan and thank you for your question! The Keefe commissary pricelist is the same for all IDOC facilities, so the price for the TV at the St. Anthony Work Camp is the same as mentioned above – $287.43 plus tax. Assuming that the St. Anthony Work Camp doesn’t have any specific rules related to this purchase, your son will have to order it through commissary and hope they’re in stock. If for some reason they are not in stock for an extended period of time, he may want to ask his property officer if there is an alternative way to order one.
Why does Keefe charge 3 times the price for commissary items in Ohio jails than they do elsewhere? One pk of Ramen noodles in Ohio is $1.22 compared to 45 cents in Idaho. Over $6 for one 3oz Keefe brand coffee. A 20oz soda is $2.59 in Ohio, $1.36 in other places. This is robbery.
Hi David,
Thanks for the question. It would be my guess that the jail plays a part in setting those prices, and that they, too, are likely incentivized by a revenue sharing arrangement to set the highest prices possible.
What is the amount of food commissary one can spend *weekly* at IMSI? Is there a separate limit weekly for property and hygiene?
The weekly spending limit for hygiene and food in IDOC facilities is $100. There is no weekly spending limit for property.
Can I order this stuff for him
Hi J–
Thanks for the question. Unfortunately, the only items that can be ordered for IDOC residents from the streets are those available through Access Corrections at https://www.accesscatalog.com/.
How can i order a T.V for someone in idaho at I.S.C.C?
Hi Raelynn,
The only way to assist the purchase of a television for IDOC residents is to place money on their books through Access Corrections. Here’s what they’ll need for a TV in their cell:
Amp’d Remote Control — $14.58
12 ft coax cable (flimsy) or RG6 Coaxial 6ft. (sturdy) — $4.56/$10.81
15″ Amp’d TV — $303.81
Clr Surge Protector — $20.36
As for headphones, which I recommend to avoid irritating and causing problems with their cellie, there are a few different options. The Koss CL-5 set is okay at $14.28. But the Koss CL-20 set is much better. Unfortunately, where the CL-20s used to be offered around $20.26, the price was recently raised to $44.95.
Others options include the $15 ear buds offered by JPay and the $4.26 ear buds offered by Keefe. I recommend against the Keefe brand as they’ll require replacement often.
I hope this helps.
— Patrick
How can I purchase playing cards for my son? How much are they? Thank you.
Your son will have to purchase the cards made available through the prison by Keefe Commissary. The same goes for just about all other food and property items. Media tablets, some hobby items and books are among the exceptions. You can deposit funds into his commissary account through Access Corrections. Visit Accesscorrections.com to choose from deposit options.
A regular deck of cards is $2.66 plus tax. Pinochle cards are $1.83 plus tax.
Thanks for visiting this site. I hope this is helpful.