A tamper resistant institutional shoe and method includes a clear outsole to discourage concealment of contraband in an institutional setting, such as prisons or correctional facilities. The institutional shoe can include an upper shoe and an outsole joined together to form a cavity to receive a user's foot. The outsole can be light transparent in at least a translucent manner. In addition, a colored insert advantageously can be fixedly disposed in the cavity on an upper surface of the outsole. The colored insert can be visible through the outsole so that tampering with the outsole or attempts to conceal contraband can be viewed through the outsole. The colored insert can include a light color to better reflect light through the outsole. A plurality of layers of different material can be disposed in the cavity over the upper surface of the outsole. The plurality of layers is adhered to adjacent layers to resist tampering. At least one of the layers can include a material with an internal strength less than a bond strength of the adhesive so that an attempt to tamper with the layer can result in visible destruction of the layer.