Let's just recall the facts that the United States has the highest prison population # and rate in the world, and the staggering amount of individuals that are in jail for non violent drug offenses. The United States has an "official" unemployment rate somewhere around 9.5% and if you count underemployed or discouraged workers its around 22%. How does Big Government plan to save this economy? By bailing out the mega corporations supported by Crony Capitalism and allowing the various industrial complexes to avoid laws that private entrepreneurs have to follow by renting out institutionalized slave labor. It's a secret no one on either side of the isle would like to talk about, their outsource prison labor from federal and state prisons all under the flag of UNICOR. Microsoft has used the labor, the Military Industrial Complex uses the labor, even call centers use the labor. This just seems absolutely corrupt to me that the corporation known as the United States has the ability to not be subjected to the same laws and standards as the private market. network world Microsoft takes advantage of Crony Capitalism Recalled U.S. military Helmets
In the United States prison system is this prison work voluntary, or forced, labor? Considering that they don't have rent and food bills, 92 cents an hour isn't bad for simply making phone calls. Shit, they're doing better than I am, at least they have medical care - and its free.
Hmmm you do make a good point there, it is voluntary work so therefore the correct term wouldn't be slavery but indentured servitude. It just pisses me off that the government institutions like UNICOR are able to outsource Federal or State prisoners under a contract to major corporations that doesn't have to follow U.S. Federal Workers laws like Minimum Wage. The Federal Government passes laws like Minimum wage to ensure "Worker" basic rights like adequate pay, maximum work hours, etc. to ensure that we can afford our "rights" of housing, food, healthcare. But once you get in the Belly of the beast that provides all your human rights then they can outsource your labor to private corporations that don't have to respect your workers rights? It seems pretty corrupt and illegitimate to me Yes being a prisoner does have it's perks from avoiding personal responsibility. Having shelter, food, healthcare is a basic right when you become state or federal property.
Well According to Unicors official website Had a good laugh from the irony. Unicor, a division under he Prison Industrial complex, bragging on how it awards contracts mainly with minority owned small businesses. 1/10 black males over the age of 18 are in the U.S. prison system,thats how they have a strong, on-going relationship with minorities. They lock them up, give them some shelter, food, and healthcare and sell their indentured labor to their own communities for pennies on the dollar. What a self sustaining business model : The worst part is when you get outta prison these corporations won't hire minorities due to their prison record yet takes their cheap labor in prison any day of the week
Prison labor isn't the same thing as indentured servitude, because the indentured servants were obligated to work for a number of years, and not allowed to just lay back and do time if he or she decided they didn't like it, before being released from their obligations. I also doubt that the indentured servant was paid anything, other than receiving the minimum food and shelter that was necessary. Indentured servitude was, in some ways, worse than slavery because many masters would literally work the indentured to death whereas a slave was considered valuable property and often treated much better. Many, many indentured servants were used in America.
When you are sent to prison you are obligated to be imprisoned for a number years. If you just wanna lay around and only serve your time you won't be released early due to good behavior. If you agree to work for private corporations in jail, then you would most likely get added benefits while the possibly of being released early. But by being outsourced by the Federal government to corporations, you give up your worker rights. I might be grasping at straws here, but I believe that the Federal prison system extorts labor from prisoners by promising early release from captivity while ignoring American law. the UNICOR agency defends itself by saying that they are "preparing" inmates for the real world by teaching them trade skills, same could be said by a individual owning indentured slaves.
If you count people who have left the labor force (they have quit even looking for a job because Obama destroyed them all), and don't count temporary government hirings in the last few months, unemployment is seriously catastrophic.
yeah it is over 20% heading towards 25%... rather shitty I can't believe that our corporate establishment is brazen enough to justify ignoring federal "worker" rights like minimum wage to employ prisoners so the jobs don't go overseas. I'm against minimum wage, universal healthcare and all that shit. Government shouldn't regulate things like these in a private contract between 2 consenting individuals.... but if they make business owners follow these laws and the federal government is immune from following the very same laws they established.... well there is a problem
I have never been to prison, so I don't know much about what goes on in one, thankfully. But I did once have a job in a manufacturing plant where many of the workers were ex-cons. They had learned how to make license plates in prison, and were hired based on those skills. So in this case it was helpful to them.
I haven't been to prison either man thank God I really have no problems with ex-cons doing work that relates to the state, especially work that lowers the costs of providing their incarceration. I'd rather keep busy than sitting in the cell with my butt buddy. But for the state to outsource prisoner labor for private contractors at 92 cents an hour? I would go mad if I was locked up in prison, assembling computers for Microsoft and Iphones for Apple. Even worse would be assembly bullet proof vest for cops and helmets for our troops maintaining the empire. If I am gonna be a slave to a corporation in a prison sweatshop, at least give me a chance of freedom via the running man style It is a true definition of being a slave to corporations
I have long felt that violent offenders, murderers and such, should be offered opportunities to voluntarily participate in medical or scientific experiments that are too dangerous for civilians to partake in. This has been done in the past, but often without the prisoners' knowledge. Perhaps space exploration by, and/or colonization with, violent prisoners would be a good idea - just build some kind of life-sustaining quarters on Venus or whatever, shoot them up there in rocket ships, and see how they make out. We're going to need to do that for the rest of humanity anyway, with the population growing and resources dwindling, might as well get a head start. Medical experimentation with new types of treatments would also be a good way to allow these individuals to be used, brain surgery and research into the minds of criminals would be useful and may shed some light on why they are the way they are. Another way to raise money and make use of violent people would be to bring back the gladiator system. We could set up betting kiosks, Cable TV broadcasts, and other ways of cashing in on the popularity of this. I would be particularly interested in the non-voluntary use of convicted terrorists to participate in these sporting events.