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There are over 2 million incarcerated people in prisons of the United States, and approximately half of them work. Many prisons have job-training programs, which allow putting the incarcerated people to labor. This system has existed in the United States since the end of the 19th century. Today, there are over 100 prison factories, producing a great variety of goods for big companies. The situation is controversial and can be treated variously from different points of view. On one hand, the training and work help prepare people for life after they are at liberty. On the other hand, the situation seems awkward when realizing that imprisoned Americans work for smallish sums, while other people are getting rich due to this business.
This industry of prison factories is not completely understood, as official statistics of employment do not count the incarcerated people. There is one main example of such a corporation, Federal Prison Industries, also known as UNICOR. The government of the United States owns and operates it, and it is a clear illustration of the way prisoners can work and produce many products, which are used for marketing purposes. A large number of goods are manufactured at prisons: clothing, furniture, mattresses, food packages, lingerie, car parts, and food. Many big companies use the labor of prison workers, for example, Victorias Secret, Walmart, and Whole Foods. Many people would be surprised to know that even IKEA employed them once, at the end of the 20th century. In addition, different government agencies buy all the range of products, which are produced in prisons. For example, license plates are being sold in Nebraska, park equipment and business cards are being produced in Oregon. Moreover, today prisoners make masks and hand sanitizers to help the world cope with COVID-19.
An important argumentative point is that most of the workers at such prison factories are doing their job without labor protection and practically no rights. Moreover, they receive little money for their functions, and sometimes, they are not paid at all. According to the research held in 2017, on average, incarcerated people earn between 86 cents and $3.45 per day for the most common prison jobs (Sawyer & Wagner, para. 12). Less than one percent of workers are officially employed by private companies through the federal Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP), which obliges them to pay them at least the minimum wage. In some states of the US, workers do not receive any payment. This way of treating prison labor allows the government to hide the true cost of supporting jails. Experts suggest that detention facilities would be unaffordable without the system of incarcerated labor, thus, their existence would be hardly possible.
Economists argue about the impact of prison labor on the economy. Private companies often make a stand against UNICOR, asserting that a cheap working force interferes with their right to compete. They affirm that state and local governments are saving much money by engaging the incarcerated people in work, because, otherwise, they would have to pay at least minimum salaries to employees doing the same job.
In conclusion, the prison system in the United States is complex, and it is one of the industries with the fastest growth. This billion-dollar facility has its catalogs, trade exhibitions, and websites. Though, the actual workers receive little payment, if any at all. The labor of incarcerated people is cheap, and it makes serious competition to small private companies. The biggest problem in the system is the lack of justice for the prison workers, as even being jailed, they remain people with certain rights, but the law does not protect them in this situation.
Reference
Sawyer, W & Wagner, P. (2020). Mass incarceration: The whole pie 2020. Prison Policy Initiative. Web.
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