Ashe County hopes to make money by providing food and housing for inmates from other jurisdictions. Business at the prison is thriving as the jail is practically full all the time. “The majority” of the prisoners are surplus from Cabarrus, Yadkin, Alleghany, and Wilkes. Only about 20-30% of the prisoners are home-grown. On average, Ashe County will make $90,000 off the prisoners from other counties. Oversized prisons in Swain, Cherokee, and Buncombe counties have suffered a shortage of anticipated commodities.