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Prison labor, originally used to save money and as a reward for good behavior, has become big business. Inmates manufacture products for private companies, saving them money and providing prisoners with financial rewards. However, some oppose these practices due to low wages and poor working conditions.
The image of an inmate erasing license plates during his prison sentence has become the symbol of the prison industry for many people. Prison labor, such as making license plates, was originally used to save government money, but has come to include manufacturing many things for the private sector. Data entry and manufacturing of various products can be handled by convicted criminals. These operations help companies save money on the job, give inmates financial rewards and accountability, and help subsidize prison bills. There are many people, both inside and outside prisons, who oppose these working practices.
The use of prisoners for things like making license plates and chained roadwork was originally introduced as a reward for good behavior and to save governments money on hiring workers to do this work. Over the years, in an effort to capitalize on this labor pool, prison industries have become big business. Some private companies hire prisoners to help produce goods, and some prisons, such as the California Prison Industry Authority in the US, run all of the business themselves.
This is an advantage in the manufacturing sector, because inmates are paid a fraction of what employees earn outside of a penitentiary, saving large sums of money. Inmates also benefit from the prison industry, because it gives them the ability to earn money, however scarce, while in prison. It also gives inmates a sense of accomplishment and is used as a reward for good behavior. Prisons also benefit from these industries because they often charge outside companies a fee or make their own money by making and selling products.
Prison industries are capable of creating a wide range of products. Furniture such as desks, chairs and sofas are created by inmates. Print cartridge refurbishment has become a major industry for some prisons. Repetitive data entry jobs are often performed by computer-savvy inmates.
Many people do not see the low cost labor and inmate employment opportunities that prison industries provide as positive things. Prisoners do not receive wages similar to those of their free counterparts, and working conditions in prisons are poorly regulated. Some groups have protested against this practice, demanding more rights for prisoners.
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