NCJ Number
158626
Date Published
1982
Length
35 pages
Annotation
This hearing was convened by the Subcommittee on Criminal Law of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary in September 1982 to consider a bill that would amend provisions of the U.S. Code related to the purchase of prison-made products by Federal agencies and that would allow, in certain cases, the purchase of similar products from small businesses.
Abstract
The opening statement at the hearing noted that Section 4124 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code requires government agencies to buy products they need from the Federal Prison Industries (FPI) program when these products are available. It was also pointed out that the proposed legislative amendment would allow Federal agencies to bypass the FPI program and go directly to small businesses in the private sector. Hearing participants considered advantages and disadvantages of purchasing products from small businesses instead of through the FPI program in terms of economic impacts, particularly with regard to employment, the need to give small businesses an opportunity to compete with the FPI program, and procurement efficiencies.