The U.S. government, through a 75-year-old program called Federal Prison Industries, makes about $750 million a year providing prison labor, federal records show. The great majority of those contracts are with other federal agencies for services as diverse as laundry, construction, data conversion and manufacture of emergency equipment.
But the program also markets itself to businesses under a different name, Unicor, providing commercial market and product-related services. Unicor made about $10 million from "other agencies and customers" in the first six months of fiscal year 2011 (the most recent period for which official figures are available), according to an msnbc.com analysis of its sales records.
The Justice Department and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons don't break down which companies they do business with. But Unicor said inmates provide private call center service, including data review and sales lead generation, for "some of the top companies in America" under a federal mandate to help companies repatriate jobs they have outsourced overseas.
In a fact sheet, Unicor asserts that prisoners in the program are less likely to re-offend and are better trained for full-time work upon release. All revenue goes back into the program, which "operates at no cost to the taxpayer," it says.
The idea has filtered down to some of the states, among them Georgia, Arizona and New York.
Friday, January 13, 2012
CHINESE SLAVE LABOUR SCANDAL!
Communist bastards!
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11 comments:
Yeah we have that here in Wisconsin, have had for years. Called Badger State Industries. Industry hates 'em.
Had it under Republican AND Democratic legislatures, too, so it's Bi-partisan slave labor!
Oh wait, they get paid like ten cents an hour or something. Technically not slave labor. Technically.
America! It's Freedom-like!*
*not intended to actually provide freedom.
It's fortunate that you can get pot anywhere; keeps the prisons supplied.
a federal mandate to help companies repatriate jobs they have outsourced overseas.
That's all right then.
But Unicor said inmates provide private call center service, including data review and sales lead generation
Hey, giving convicted criminals your home phone number- no problems there, either.
And until now I didn't realize that our problem is we don't send enough people to prison.
Next thing you know, we'll get a bipartisan panel explaining how we're going to drone-strike our way to a balanced budget (and FREEDOM™)!
~
And until now I didn't realize that our problem is we don't send enough people to prison.
Free health care!
Health care AND a job.
Have used their products.
Me too.
Hey!
Felons with a job dot goddam gov is pretty thankful for some of this shit.
You'd be laughing a lot less if you fucked up once back when leisure suits were cool and you can't get a job.
This whole thing makes my face hurt. The only way I can get a job is to make my potential boss undersdtand if he doesn't hire me I'll burn down his house.
What the hell is that supposed to promote, other than more foreign oil?
Geez, you could probably distil some accelerants cheaply and avoid the pricey stuff...
Good luck mikey.
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