Do Prison work programs take jobs away from hardworking Americans?

[ecstatic]

They are debating this issue on C-Span right now.

It seems like this issue transcends party lines, much like the illegal immigration debate.

On one hand, prisoners do need some sort of training so that they can be prepared to enter the workforce upon release. On the other hand, if prisoners are allowed to work out in the free market, they will be doing so for extremely low wages, and the result will be that there will be less jobs available for people who are not in prison, and who do construction type jobs.

My take is that this is all a ploy: Prisoners will still be discriminated against when released from prison regardless of whether they had prior work experience or not. This is just another way for the big corporations to exploit and use workers for the cheapest price possible.

[rman]

1. loaded poll

"Prisoners should not be allowed to work in the free market" is not the opposite of "Prisoners should be allowed to work to gain necessary skills".


Prisoners could very well be allowed to gain skills without them being exploited as cheap labor for the so-called "free market".

And then still the question remains whether or not the prison system itself should operate as a for-profit business where the value of the shares depends on the number of prisoners.

[fasttense]

9. You are the man rman. My thoughts exactly. n/t

[sandnsea]

2. They should be paid prevailing wage

And the paycheck should go to their family first, and then to pay for extras in prison, and then into a savings or education fund. We should subsidize any additional costs for running a work program in prison so that the business itself can turn a profit. I think prison should be completely revamped anyway, and part of it should be put on a system where the more you work the better life you have inside.

[FormerDittoHead]

8. Victims first (judgements) THEN family, etc.

But if we're going to reform things, if we legalized (decriminalized) drugs you'd see prison populations cut in half.

As for reforming the prison, we have to come to grips as to why they're there. Warehousing (simply keep them out of society), Punishment (deterrence) or Reform?

I think the problem with reforming prisons is that we don't agree with what we should use them for.

One thing's for sure, if the answer is reform, we're not doing a very good job of it.

[sandnsea]

10. I agree with that

Except for the legalizing all drugs part, that won't help the prison problem. People who can use responsibly can also hold jobs, so generally aren't in prison. Whether the goal is punishment or reform, I would think everybody ought to be able to agree that they at least need to take responsibility for their lives.

[havocmom]

3. States bid out their prison labor. Corporations go with the lowest wage

Figure it out.

I see no difference between this and China using prisoners to manufacture goods. Well, one difference: we raise more hell about the fact that China does it.

And consider: When you give your credit card # to some reservation call centers, you have just handed info over to prisoners who may have friends on the outside who can use that info.

Lots of Corporations slapping MADE IN THE USA labels on goods they payed slave labor wages to get. Consumers feel good, labor unions suffer more job loss and the Corporations laugh all the way to off shore banks.

[SledDriver]

4. Not sure, but...

I'm reminded of the warden's activities in The Shawshank Redemption.

[Selatius]

5. In China, corporations contract with the state for prison labor

In many cases, it is illegal, but the one-party bureaucracy looks the other way if you know where to throw the money.

Nothing can be cheaper than workers in a forced-labor camp deep in China's interior. The prison houses and feeds them, but you get to use them, and you don't have to pay a wage.

A benefit of cheap labor in the third world and prison labor is that you can destroy worker unions in your home country by simply outsourcing the work.

:sarcasm: Everybody wins! :sarcasm:

[Cerridwen]

6. A point of clarification, please. Are the "prisoners" American?

If they are American and they are working hard - are they not then "hardworking Americans"?

American and non-American men and women in prison should not be exploited in the name of corporate greed any more than any other American and non-American women and men.

I just wanted to take a moment to remember that the "prisoners" being discussed are people.

"In order to kill someone, you must first remove their humanity" - unknown

[mark414]

7. it is the prison industrial complex and it's disgusting

there are huge corporations that fire all their good wages workers and shift their labor force to prisons - prisoners are being forced to work these jobs for next to nothing and all that profit goes into the pockets of the execs - victoria's secret is one of these that i know of...do YOU want a rapist making your panties?

that's why there'll never be any meaningful prison reform or change to keep people out of prison in the first place...too many people are making too much money off of it.