NEW BOOK: PRISON TOKENS OF THE U.S. AND CANADA

Bob Hewey writes:

You may ask, “why were there special kinds of money used in prisons, jail and reformatories?” There are good reasons not to allow legal tender coins and bills in the hands of prisoners. The ready availability of such currency could encourage bribery, extortion, gambling and facilitate acquisition of contraband and escapes. Still, there needs to be some type of money so that inmates can purchase discretionary items, such as snacks, tobacco, toiletries and reading and writing supplies. This catalog will focus on the token coinage and scrip issued to address these problems in the United States and Canada.

According to our research, the first significant numismatic look at this subject is contained in an article published in 1960 by Jack F. Burns, Research Associate, Section of Coins and Medals, Carnegie Museum. More recently, Jerry Zara's Prison Tokens and Medals of the United States was published by Paul Cunningham in 1992. This 162-page hardcover book provided the most comprehensive look at the topic to date, and this new catalog makes occasional reference to Zara's work and cross-references our listings to his numbers where possible.

The first widely used alternative currency in prisons and jails were tokens. While these reduced the chance of bribery of correction officers and hindered escape, they did not eliminate their use for gambling, contraband and extortion. To counter this, institutions would put limits on the value of such tokens that the inmate could draw from an account or have in his or her possession. Other than tokens, coupons issued in booklets or attached as tear-offs to cards, punch cards and credit slips have been used in prisons to address the purchasing needs of the inmates. Now, as with the transportation industry, I'm sure that electronic cards have come into use, replacing other forms of scrip. But the scrip currency of our penal institutions makes an interesting and challenging field for collecting.

There were a number of at-risk youth and truant school institutions set up for delinquent or otherwise wayward boys and girls. Those that were part of the State or Provincial Board of Corrections are included in the general listing. However, there were private, non-official institutions, and we have listed these in a separate section. One of the best known of these institutions is Boys Town founded in 1917 in Nebraska. It issued tokens for its Student Bank in denominations from 5 (cents) to 5.00 (dollars). Another institution was the George Junior Republic, first established in 1895 in Freeville, NY. Other similar “Junior Republic” institutions followed, many issuing tokens and/or paper scrip. Many of the tokens issued by the George Junior Republics had dates of issue, ranging from 1896 to 1946.

Newman Numismatic Portal Project Coordinator Len Augsburger adds:

Bob adds:

To read or download the book on NNP:
Prison Tokens, Coupons and Scrip of the United States and Canada (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/589917)

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