Board approves contract for inmates' shoes

The Board of Examiners on Tuesday approved spending up to $200,000 to buy prison inmates better tennis shoes.

Deputy Director for Corrections Deborah Reed told the governor and secretary of state that active inmates at some of the state's institutions are wearing through the cheaper shoes they now buy in as little as two months.

"The cheaper shoes just don't last as long," she said.

She said she expects more expensive shoes, made by California Prison Industries just for inmates, will last at least three times as long.

The shoes themselves are nothing fancy - retro-looking black tennis shoes with white laces.

She said the shoes purchased through the existing contract cost the state $4.25 a pair. The shoes from California Prison Industries will cost $9.15 a pair but, if they last six months or longer, the result will be a savings to the state.