New York state corrections officials have suspended a program that forced families and friends to send care packages to prisoners only through select private vendors, amid criticism that the move raised costs and limited choices, The Marshall Project reports. The switch to private companies went into effect earlier this month in a pilot program at three facilities. The state planned to expand privatization to the whole system — the nation’s fourth largest — by the fall. “Concerns have been raised by families of inmates regarding the availability and prices of products under this program, concerns we do not take lightly,” said corrections spokesman Thomas Mailey. The program was suspended until those concerns can be addressed, he said.
New York had been poised to enter the business of prisoner care packages, joining hundreds of other local and state corrections agencies using private companies for the service. Instead of heading to a local store to find gifts, family and friends would have to choose from a selection of pre-approved items in the companies’ catalogs. Corrections departments say it reduces the risk of contraband. New York’s policy would have severely limited the books prisoners could receive from the outside.The five vendors combined offered only 77 books, 24 of which were coloring books.