👓 N.Y. jail program forces families to buy from online vendors that overcharge for basic items sent to inmates | NY Daily News

Read N.Y. jail program forces families to buy from online vendors that overcharge for basic items sent to inmates by Reuven Balu (NY Daily News)

Infuriating inmate advocates, the state Department of Corrections has launched a pilot program that forces visitors to buy supplies for loved ones behind bars from five online vendors that they say overcharge for simple items.

State officials maintain the vendor system — expected to go statewide by fall 2018 — will reduce contraband being smuggled into facilities.