How am I supposed to get money in the game?

[spartacus_der_schwarze]

I bought this game 2 das ago and have a problem with getting money.

I didnt build anything for 3 "ingame days" because I cant. I have 200 prisoners. Most of them are medium/low security dudes.My balance is at +3000.But thats it. No other income.

The workshop isnt working at all. I am starting programms and got 3 prisoners working there and a guard watching them.They dont produce anything at all.So no cashflow from there.

I read that "parole rooms" are very helpful.So I build 7 of them and spammed it into my programm.I get some money from it because 3-5 people get parole and leave earlier and I get 3000€

But thats it.
The "quests" or grants are useless right now.
1. Wait 100000000 years to get 15.000 from investements
2. Let your prisoners craft 30 Nametags for 20.000$ .They dont do it
3.Educate them .Well my counter is at 40% ( basic education or something) for 40.000$. Nothing is happening .

And the other "quests/grants" are pretty useless as well.

I need some BIG cash like from the parole stuff.

I am definitely missing something super important.

So please tell me how you guys get easily money in this game.

I dont want to sell my prison because I will have the same problem again sooner or later

Thank you

[Frazzledragøn the Trustworthy]

Reduce your staff cost.
Get the workshop working. Build a forestry, that is where the money lies.
I can't tell you how because the problem wasn't described detailed enough and I am not playing the guessing game.

Grants are for getting you started, not for sustaining your prison for the entire game.

Parole is a cashcow if you use Low Sec prisoners.

[Marcuz]

I have never encountered money problems in this game.
Maybe you are being a little impatient?
Im sure if you let the game run for some days you will have plenty of money to expand.
Regardless your question, I dont think you are missing anything. Those are the best ways to get money, parole (you get more with min sec, like crazy money) and the workshop.

[dande48]

Have you checked your finances tab? The usual problem I run into are:
-Prison "incidents". If one of your prisoners acts out, it resets the counter, which can cost you several thousand a day. Make sure their needs are met, and keep them happy. Don't let the meds near the many snitches in min sec.
-Too many staff. You really want to keep your staffing down to a minimum. Put your prisoners to work cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking. Use CVs over patrols, and remote control doors.

Also, you only have three prisoners working at your workshop? Your workshop is WAY too small.

Few other tips. Start out with min only. They are easy to take care of, and won't resist if you try and cram all of them into a very small space. Your min section should be a cash farm, piling in as many bodies as you can, and barely keeping them alive. As with most businesses, if you want to make money, you can't afford to be nice. Then, once you have some cash, you can start to expand and focus on reformation.

[elonjay]

Are you taking advantage of all the available grants?

[J.rock]

Some suggestions:
- Your Workshop should be big.
- Once you've built the basic room (without putting equipment in it), check the maximum number of prisoners you can assign to the room (that number is based on the size of the room).
- Then buy and install your workshop equipment to suit that number. So if you can assign 16 prisoners, assign all of them to the room, then buy 6 saws, 6 presses, and 4 wood working tables.
- Install as many tables as you can without impeding traffic flow in the room.
- Build a "forestry" and make it massive. It's a slow process to get your timber, but if your forestry is say 20 x 40 squares then your guys won't have used all that wood before the next set of trees are cut down. Forestries run automatically. Spare wood also sells for quite a lot of money if you want to get rid of some supply.
- Make sure your "Regime" allows for 2 x 3-hour work periods per day, with a "break" in the middle as a normal free period to allow your prisoners to use the bathrooms etc. Keeps them happy. Anything less than 3 hours will give you very little production output.
- Make sure you maximize the number of workshop and carpentry teaching sessions in a day. Those prisoners not attending the sessions will work in the workshop as normal.
- Assign a min of 3 guards to the room on a permanent basis, or one guard and one armed guard.
- Install fire sprinklers in the room and connect them to the water supply.
- Build a sizeable "exports" area by your roadway. 30 sq.m should do.
- Make sure you have enough workmen to carry all the workshop supply items back and forth. I have 20 or so working in my prison of 120. All raw materials and finished products have to be carried to and from your workshop by your yellow workmen friends. If your workshop is far away from your "exports" room area by you roadway then it will take some time for them to get back and forth.
- Install metal detectors at the entrance ways. Prisoners like to steal tools.
- Once you have the knack down, build more workshops. I have 3 with +- 12 maximum prisoners per workshop.

[Whirl]

Don't just build one forestry area.

Even the best builder ends up with space to spare. Put Forestry in every place you can. It's something cheap and useful to put between your cells and your outer walls.

[Rokk]

Additionally, you should sell your prison at some point, especially if your current prison is an entirely new one (built with only the starting grant). 200 prisoners is not too bad. You'll get a nice sum of cash.