Abstract
In the prison context, the Illicit Economy (IE) refers to trade that is forbidden by law or by prison rules which mostly includes either goods ranging from canteen items to classified drugs, New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), prescribed medications, alcohol and mobile phones or services such as money lending and gambling. Although the IE may have some positive impact on prison life by engaging prisoners in an activity that rewards the seller and meets a buyer’s need, or by filling idle hours and keeping prisoners calm, reports suggest that the IE can lead to debt, intimidation, violence and disruptive behaviour. 1,2,3,4,5 This study explored prisoners’ experiences of the illicit economy (IE) and developed a new measure of biddability to predict involvement in the IE; the BIDSCALE.