Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:09:01 -0800WeeblyFri, 20 May 2011 19:06:08 -0800http://www.grahampieno.com/2/post/2011/05/first-post.htmlA paper published in 2007 by the Center for Advanced Studies, Crossroad Bible Institute titled Racketeering or Rehabilitation raises some interesting issues surrounding the subject of the work of the incarcerated. It begins by citing a little-known fact from the U.S. Department of Justice: that all able-bodied people in prisons are required to work in some capacity. In some way, this policy goes against our Hollywood-enforced perception that the only non-idle time for inmates during daylight is spent in the weight room or on the blacktop. The second myth the paper proceeds to shatter is the type of work that prisoners are, or rather are not, limited to.

Since the 1930s a group known as Federal Prison Industries, or FPI and also known as Unicor, ran the administration of work programs within prison. In its early days, policy restricted work by the prisoners for government and nonprofit agencies. In recent years however, the paper reports, FPI has begun selling “services” to private companies who then outsource their recycling, printing, laundry and telemarketing needs to FPI-employed workers in prison. Telemarketing! "Some protest these jobs, finding it inherently dangerous to employ people with criminal records in such a manner," the paper's author points out.

"Many of these critics point to an incident in early 2000, when an imprisoned person in the Utah Department of Corrections spoke with and solicited personal information from a 15-year-old girl in Texas. He then sold her personal information to another inmate in the prison. The new owner of the girl’s contact information then proceeded to send the girl suggestive letters." But the paper then goes on to make the counter-intuitive argument that, despite the above example, contemporary prison call centers are not as "risky" as they seem. "For instance, at one Oregon D.O.C. call center, calls are recorded and the phone numbers are randomly generated by a computer. The inmate employees speak only to other business employees, not directly to consumers, and those convicted of identity theft are not permitted to work at the center."

Moreover, if the type of work opportunities being offered to the incarcerated spark controversy--or at the least, concern--the paper goes on to document another issue: compensation. "... opponents claim that the FPI-outsourcing private companies are perhaps more devious than their offshore-outsourcing competitors, as the former can claim to only hire U.S. workers, yet still pay a non-U.S. wage." These full-time jobs pay anywhere from $0.12 to $1.15 per hour. And there is a logic behind setting the pay scale far below minimum wage. According to the paper's author, "one must keep in mind that nearly all men and women behind bars receive their room and board free of charge, a gift from the taxpayer. In 2001, the average annual operating cost of each state incarcerated person was $22,650, and $22,632 for each federally incarcerated person." Thus, despite an income as low as $0.12 per hour, a person in prison still “earns” as much as he/she might expect at a similar job on the outside.

Despite the obvious comparative disadvantages, however, there is a real upside to employment in prison. The paper tells the story of Katey Grabenhorst, formerly incarcerated in Oregon, who now works for the same DMV that hired her in prison. She told USA Today, “(The job) brought self-esteem, order, skills and a stable income to my life. If this program wasn’t available, I would have probably ended up back in prison.”

"As a result of prison employment," the paper continues, "many people like Grabenhorst help improve their communication skills, self-esteem and job skills all of which lead to future employment. The purpose of telemarketing in prison, it appears, is not to give imprisoned people direct, real-world experience, but to help them develop real-world skills in a practical manner."

You can read the entire publication on the Center for Advanced Studies, Crossroad Bible Institute's web page.
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