NCJ Number
145147
Date Published
1993
Length
27 pages
Annotation
The impacts of requiring prisons to pay minimum wage for inmate work were analyzed by means of interviews with officials of the Federal and four State prison systems, site visits to Federal and State prisons, and telephone interviews with officials from 15 other State prison systems.
Abstract
In addition, interviews were conducted with officials from labor and research organizations. Results revealed that the prison systems generally regarded minimum wage for prisoner work as unaffordable, even if substantial user fees for room and board were imposed on the inmates. Prison system officials consistently identified major cutbacks in inmate labor as a likely and dangerous consequence of having to pay minimum wage. They believed that less inmate work means more idle time and increased potential for violence and misconduct. In contrast, some of the other organizations had a different perspective on inmate pay, based on the idea that prison work experiences should be more like those in the general public. Minimum or prevailing wages are part of the factories-with-fences concept supported by many public and private sector officials in the 1980's. Representatives of some organizations also believe that by not paying inmates minimum or prevailing wages, prison industries gain an unfair competitive advantage, displace workers who are not imprisoned, or both. Appended methodological information and responses