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© 1997
aeromax@primary.net
THE SCANDAL OF PRISON INDUSTRIES
[10/5/97] - The growth of prsons is now a huge item of public expenditure, and the use of prison labor is already some 20% of all federal prisoners. By the year 2000 it is estimated the industry will have over $8 billion a year in sales. 25% of all federally purchased goods come from prison industries in this country, and that represents a lot of jobs lost to the law-abiding working-man.
Privately-run prison are multiplying like bunnies. Think about this-- We still pay for the prisons and the upkeep of the inmates, one way or another, but now some corporation makes a profit just housing them. Then they force inmates to work (or let 'em rot without incentives for earlier release and other forms of abuse) for wages deeply undercutting the law-abiders on the outside, and make another level of profit (and maintain another level of corporate management [=bureaucracy]) at the expense of our jobs.
Some of our largest (and smallest) companies are understandably delighted about the growth of this forced labor-- it's cheap (often under $1/hour, even when the laws say prison wages should be "competitive"), thus maintaining depressed wage levels in the economy as a whole, and it insures continued huge profits for the dittoheads. And, they say, it's good for business because "we can put a 'Made in the U.S.A.' label on our product."
Some of these guys are really enthusiastic, like TWA's
Director of Area Reservations, Jeff Black, who waxes lyrical when asked
about the performance of his California Youth Authority inmates:
Read all about it in the following links:
From the Washington Free Press: Business Behind Bars
From the Institute of Industrial Relations, University of California at Berkeley: Prison Labor/Prison Blues
From the Albion Monitor News: Prison Labor Boon for Employers, Report Says
From the San Francisco Bay Guardian: Prison Labor Schmoozefest
From Prisons and Prison Law: California's Prison Industry Authority
© 1997
aeromax@primary.net