Less Crime, More Criminals (was Re: Damien)

Michael Hoover hoov at freenet.tlh.fl.us
Thu Mar 11 04:26:19 PST 1999



> anyone have any estimates on the impact of prison labour as a
> proportion of gdp, some such figure that would relate it to total US
> production?
> angela

according to the US Justice Dept., the private sector did US $1.31 billion in 1994...figure is up from US $392 million in 1980 (220%)...number of incarcerated working 'in the employ' of private sector firms increased 358% during the same time period...figures do not include prison labor done for the public sector...

private sector prison labor began to grow in US after Congress lifted ban on interstate transport and sale of prison made goods in 1979...

TWA's contract with California prison system allowed it to 'remain competitive' when its main Los Angeles office was shut down during '92 Rebellion...61 'youthful offenders' processed calls for those who would have made travel arrangements with other airlines...

Carrol mentioned *Prison Labor News*...Dan Pens, one of PLN's editors and an inmate at Washington state's Twin Rivers prison broke a story several years ago about Microsoft's use of prison labor for packaging and shrinkwrapping...Gates' company apparently had (has?) a contract with Exmark which does product packaging...latter has also used prison labor for Jansport, Starbucks, US West, and Costco...

Michael Hoover



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