Take away this ball and chain
Using Colorado's prison population to make the chairs we sit on on
by Kathryn Graham
The Metropolitan
Take a moment to notice the chair or couch you may be sitting on and reading this article. Is it comfortable? Sturdy and well made? Is it attractive to the eye? Who made it, you might ask. Whose hands labored and toiled to make the place you may be relaxing your tired legs?
If you're on the Auraria campus "guests of the state" made the furniture you may be sitting in.
In other words, Colorado's convicted felons.
In universities across the state of Colorado prison laborers, for cents a day, make the office furniture that university employees use freely.
According to Colorado Revised Statute CRS-17-24-111 (a), all state agencies are required to buy their office furniture, and systems, from Colorado Correctional Industries, formerly known as Juniper Valley Products, a for-profit company, which operates within the Colorado prison system and exclusively employs convicted felons.
In Colorado, CCI is only allowed to work where there is a statewide, not nationwide, industrial void.
"There isn't a furniture industry in Colorado. They [state institutions] would go through NAFTA across the border in many cases. We buy most of our supplies from Colorado suppliers. The money stays in Colorado that way," said Alison Morgan, public information officer for CCI.
"All profits go back into expanding us to employ more inmates," Morgan said.
There are plenty of new inmates for CCI to choose from.
Since 1990 Colorado has opened 12 new prisons.
CCI's total revenues have steadily increased every year, from 1997 through 2001,
"In 2002 we made $3.5 million in furniture sales from the Fremont shop alone," Morgan said. The Fremont shop is their largest furniture operation.
CCI has a prison industries program that ranks in the top 10 nationwide and employs inmates to work for the state as well as private industries.
In some cases, such as Metro's, CCI's business is mandatory by law for state furniture consumers.
"CCI brings good partnerships in the community," said Morgan.
Metro purchased $137,517 worth of office furniture from CCI in 2004, said Amy Hudson, spokesperson for Metro State.
CCI also sells its furniture products to private vendors, such as furniture installation companies, for a lower price, possibly undercutting private manufacturers, although not in Colorado.
"Most [office furniture] is made in North Carolina," Morgan said.
Although prison labor is economically profitable for the prison industries, it is not for the prison laborer. This workforce is treated as one that doesn't need benefits.
"All inmates earn 60 cents a day plus production bonuses, except for the saddle workers who get the minimum wage. Production bonuses can equal a couple of dollars, up to 10 dollars a month," Morgan said.
The lack of means to make a livable wage outside of confinement may be an intricate part of the reason why some people find themselves in prison.
"There is a value in paying inmates a living wage, to be available when released, or for child support, etcetera. Providing training skills they can use is very important but low pay is another issue," said Malcolm Young, executive director of The Sentencing Project, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. that has helped establish alternative sentencing programs in more than 20 states.
"There is nothing wrong with a prisoner having funds, it teaches them responsibility," Young said.
Not only are CCI's prison laborers being worked for cents a day, but some may not be able to find employment once released because of the odd skills they are trained to do, such as raising Coy fish for a vendor in Japan.
"We raise baby chicks and pheasants for a private vendor," Morgan said.
One of the arguments in favor of prison labor is that it gives inmates job skills they can use once released.
Because inmates are working where there is an industrial void, the law seems to be undermining it's own argument.
If a significant number of prison laborers are doing unusual jobs then there will be no market for those inmates to utilize their skills in upon their release.
"Far too many people in prison are there when there are far better things to do with them. There should be more of a focus on job training to keep them out of prison," Young said.
These issues are all part of the humanistic ideology of punishment that developed in the late 60's and they are very difficult to sort through, Young said.
Whether, upon release, the inmates work skills will be marketable is questionable. It does, however, keep them occupied while in confinement, which is a huge benefit.
"A busy and tired inmate is an inmate that doesn't cause problems for us," Morgan said.
Currently there are more than 19,000 inmates in Colorado. The mass majority is there on drug related charges.
Colorado's prison population, in 2002, increased by 7.9%, up from 3.7% in 2001.
Colorado is the fourth fastest growing prison population in the nation, trailing only behind Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
CCI employs more than 1,400 inmates and has 18 prisons that participate in the prison labor program; however, Colorado has a whopping total of 22 state and three federal prisons.
Only three of the state prisons manufacture furniture.
The state Supreme Court recently has thrown out part of the state of Washington's prison labor program, deciding that it is unconstitutional to sell prison labor to private businesses.
Companies there will no longer be able to save on the costs of health insurance and other employment-related benefits by using prison labor.
Although the state of Washington is limiting their use of prison labor, Colorado is forging ahead and has plans to build another prison.
Gov. Bill Owens signed into law, early in 2003, plans to build a new $102.8 million, 948-bed high-security prison in Canon City.
"Things are made harder to insure that people fail," Young said. |
