Some ICE detainees unable to buy food after payment system goes down

[Ms. Toad]

5. No. But just like most places of detention,

The basic necessities are very basic, and people detained there often supplement then by making purchases from the commissary.

The one person described the food provided to them as "inedible." There was no actual description of that food, so it is hard to tell what the issue with the "free" food was.

And what is a necessity for some is not under the detention rules. A former student of mine wears contacts. I don't know if he even has glasses - or had them with him when he was taken to jail. He was unable to get contact solution for around a month - and it isn't considered a necessity.

I don't have experience with this system, but third party systems which serve places of detention (prisons, penitentiaries,immigration detention centers, etc) are hard to navigate - and generally have to be funded by people outside the system. Even when they work, that means the person being detained has to have someone outside of detention who (1) knows they are there, (2) has enough facility with clunky software apps to make them work, and (3) money to give to the person detained.