Prisoner Labor: Perspectives on Paying the Federal Minimum Wage
(Testimony, 10/28/93, GAO/T-GGD-94-8).

If the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the four state prison systems GAO
visited--Arizona, Florida, Nevada, and Virginia--had to pay the minimum
wage to prisoners and did so without reducing the number of inmate hours
worked, their tab for inmate labor could total hundreds of millions of
dollars more each year.  These prison systems generally consider minimum
wage for prisoners as unaffordable, even if substantial user fees, such
as charges for room and board, were billed to inmates.  Prison officials
cited large-scale cutbacks in inmate labor as a likely and, in their
view, dangerous consequence of having to pay minimum wages.  They
believe that less inmate work would translate into more idle time,
increased opportunities for violence and misconduct, and decreases in
routine prison maintenance.  On the other hand, some organizations,
believing that prison work experiences should reflect those in the
general public, view inmate pay differently. Some groups also believe
that by not paying inmates minimum or prevailing wages, prison
industries have an unfair competitive edge and displace private sector
workers.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-GGD-94-8
     TITLE:  Prisoner Labor: Perspectives on Paying the Federal Minimum 
             Wage
      DATE:  10/28/93
   SUBJECT:  Offender rehabilitation
             Correctional facilities
             Labor case law
             Labor legislation
             Prisoners
             Minimum wage rates
             Compensation
             Employment or training programs
             Comparative analysis
IDENTIFIER:  BOP Prison Industry Enhancement Program
             Arizona
             Florida
             Nevada
             Virginia
             
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