Mother Jones: From Starbucks to Microsoft: a sampling of what US inmates make, and for whom

[NNN0LHI]

http://motherjones.com/politics/2008/07/what-do-prisoners-make-victorias-secret

What Do Prisoners Make for Victoria's Secret?

From Starbucks to Microsoft: a sampling of what US inmates make, and for whom

— By Caroline Winter

July/August 2008 Issue

Tens of thousands of US inmates are paid from pennies to minimum wage—minus fines and victim compensation—for everything from grunt work to firefighting to specialized labor. Here's a sampling of what they make, and for whom.

Eating in: Each month, California inmates process more than 680,000 pounds of beef, 400,000 pounds of chicken products, 450,000 gallons of milk, 280,000 loaves of bread, and 2.9 million eggs (from 160,000 inmate-raised hens). Starbucks subcontractor Signature Packaging Solutions has hired Washington prisoners to package holiday coffees (as well as Nintendo Game Boys). Confronted by a reporter in 2001, a Starbucks rep called the setup "entirely consistent with our mission statement." snip

Windows dressing: In the mid-1990s, Washington prisoners shrink-wrapped software and up to 20,000 Microsoft mouses for subcontractor Exmark (other reported clients: Costco and JanSport). "We don't see this as a negative," a Microsoft spokesman said at the time. Dell used federal prisoners for PC recycling in 2003, but stopped after a watchdog group warned that it might expose inmates to toxins. snip

Open wide: At California's prison dental laboratory, inmates produce a complete prosthesis selection, including custom trays, try-ins, bite blocks, and dentures.

[Brickbat]

1. People commit crimes so they can get health care in jail; soon they'll be doing it to get jobs, too.

Disgusting.

[bobbolink]

3. Health care, housing and meals.

Calling Charles Dickens!

[bobbolink]

2. I'm not surprised, but totally sickened. This comes from For-Profit prisons.

What is it going to take to get people to want JUSTICE????

[RandomThoughts]

4. I want Justice and compassion. It makes sense.

I think some think that is the bad side.

Thats the only thing I can think of.

I do agree with mercy also, that is part of compassion, but I think mercy is how people find better thoughts, not by punishments. And I think mercy should have some learning and education and change of behavior.


Shrug, and I think alot of people do better every day. Part of why I think the world will get better, but I think it requires people seeing what is going on, and thinking and feeling on it, since I believe most people are more good then bad.

[WCGreen]

5. My problem with this is that they are undermining the private sector and

that inmates are working for basically penny's on the dollar while we have 10% unemployment...

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[glinda]

10. That will change will they have all the middle and lower class in work prisons.

[sarcasmo]

7. This country is good at starting War's and putting people in Prison.

[Toucano]

8. What the hell?

This is just wrong.

[Jkid]

9. "We don't see this as a negative"

Sounds like a code word for "If it makes money, I don't care about it"

[EmeraldCityGrl]

11. No mention of their putting their lives on the line to fight

our forest fires. Hundreds, possibly thousands of WA. State inmates fight the majority of our forest fires for
something measly like $1.25 an hour.

[NNN0LHI]

12. No mention? From the first sentence ... everything from grunt work to firefighting ...

I still think it would be better for them to be hired either before they are incarcerated or after they are released to fight the forest fires. That way if they had a job and were able to make a decent living they might not need to be incarcerated to begin with. Does that make sense?

Don

[asdjrocky]

13. Are there no workhouses?

Are there no prisons?

[laughingliberal]

14. Have we no decency? None?

:cry:

[hootinholler]

15. An old tradition in the US

The private prisons, I'm not sure about, but I have 19thC tools that were manufactured in Ithica NY by prisoners.

-Hoot