Boiled Alive: Prison Economy

A grotesque dance of agony piercing the skin. Blood boiling bubbles from steam in your lungs. Eyes, once filled with life, now ripe like meatballs. Would this punishment create betterment to society? (even if it'd make a great soup) 

Instant Noodles, the stuff dreams (and deals) are made of---become a staple in prison. Ramen, a $1 commodity, worth 5 packs of cigarettes behind bars. It's just like living in two different worlds. 

Ramen Economy

There was an entire informal economy based on ramen (which they often referred to as 'soups'). "Some people will never eat them, but they use them --- that's their funny money." (NPR, Alvarez, 2016). Inmates in the US and most Asian nations use ramen to pay for services from other Inmates like laundry and cleaning. Ramen are a good currency with intrinsic value, are easily traded, and are nonperishable (Hustle, 2019). 

After government budget cuts, prisons led to poorer quality food, making high-calorie ramen a valuable commodity for hungry prisoners (NPR, 2016). "You can tell how good a man's doing [financially] by how many soups he's got in his locker. "Twenty soups? Oh, he's doing good" (Gibson-Light, 2016)

In a twisted sense, prisoners are pretty smart in controlling a unique market of trade. The irony of a system that keeps skilled workers and prospective entrepreneurship minds confined in a cubicle, as a sobering reminder--- Damn, What a Loss of Potential!

Criminal minds

"Crime" and "Economic crisis" are the news' favorite topic. Crimes are divided into 'felonies' (serious crimes like murder or rape) and 'misdemeanors' (theft or vandalism). The severity of the crime determines the severity of the punishment.

The Strain Theory by American sociologist Robert K of criminal motivation, implies illegal actions are caused by structurally induced frustrations derived from low wages and unemployment. (Britannica, 2024). Along with this, the Criminal Motivation Theory suggests that economic stress may increase the incentive for people to engage in criminal activity as a means of coping with their difficulties--- like stealing bread out of hunger. 

"Economic stress" is further defined as a resort of poverty, which creates excuses for robbery and corruption (UNODC, 2010). Thus, countries like Brazil, Italy, Mexico, and Thailand have the highest correlation of poverty and criminal rates.