NCJ Number
128173
Date Published
1988
Length
42 pages
Annotation
The idea of employing prison inmates in productive enterprise is a constructive alternative to confinement.
Abstract
Prisons in the United Kingdom are overcrowded, and recidivism is a problem because imprisonment has not helped prisoners become more responsible citizens. Productive prison work, organized and run on a commercial basis, can alleviate some of the current deficiencies in prison administration and operation and provide benefits to taxpayers, victims, prison staff, and offenders. Working prisoners can contribute from their wages toward the costs of operating prisons and thus reduce the burden on taxpayers. Deductions from prisoner wages can also be made to support their dependents, reducing welfare claims, and for victim restitution. Productive inmate work can produce better morale and less likelihood of prison staff being the target of violence. Further, the experience and skills gained by offenders in a work program can be used to find gainful employment upon release. Inmates can also enhance self-respect and more responsible behavior by working while in prison. Prison work programs in the United Kingdom and the United States are compared, and specific proposals for establishing an effective work program are offered. Appendixes provide program data on Minnesota correctional industries and profiles of California Youth Authority first commitments. 18 references and 6 tables