No one here is disputing that prison labor beats rotting away in a cell, nor is anyone here advocating for simply getting rid of such programs.shadowgigan wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 5:32 am I work with a lot of prisoners. What people don't tell you is the inmates actually love these programs for the most part. It allows them to do something other than sit in the block, which is a good thing. I'm not sure it builds character or not, I'm pretty skeptical of a lot of these programs utilized by the prison industrial complex. I'm pretty convinced most of these programs fall short of their loftier ambitions. I have no confidence in their ability to make all-encompassing societal changes. However, if they are giving individual inmates piece of mind, I support that.
I'll be honest with you guys, in my experience, I don't think the inmates care if they are being paid or not. Additionally, in some jurisdictions inmates are being "paid" in the sense their sentence is reduced. You can debate whether this is fair or not, and argue they should at least be paid minimum wage. I think that's reasonable. My worry is, when I hear this topic discussed, that it will lead to the dissolution of these trustee programs, and I would view that as a bad thing.
The issue is the inadequate quality of life and financial support these programs provide for prisoners. Keep in mind that prisoners also have to pay for their own food, hygiene, clothes, and family communication, to say nothing of the financial burden the families incur on the outside. Maybe the specific prison you worked in provided more benefits to its population so they don't have to worry as much about money, but it's quite evident that inmates throughout the USA aren't being paid near enough to support themselves and their families, and so have to resort to illicit side-hustles to maintain basic amenities.
Of course, it's not just a matter of paying prisoners more. Our for-profit prison system is designed to suck as much money out of inmates as possible, so the cost of simply existing in prison needs to be changed. We should also reexamine how prisoners who get released don't get to use the "character and skills" they built up to find jobs, due to stigma against offenders in the hiring process.
If people are going to work for you, pay them what the work is worth. Otherwise, the "prison is a place of rehabilitation, not punishment" lie becomes even harder to maintain.
