should prisoners be paid minimum wage?

racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
.. never really seen this discussed before, and it's something that has bothered me for ages now..

do you think people who have been convicted of crimes and are now serving time in any one of numerous per profit prisons in the us of a be paid the same minimum wage that people on the outside receive??
how about when some of these for profit prisons prisoners do jobs that compete with the free market?? many prisons make such things as flags, uniforms, electrical bits and furniture, all the while paying prisoners pennies per hour yet sell their wares on the open market for the same prices that free market companies sell theirs at ...

pretty good article here..http://t.news.msn.com/us/prison-factories-caught-in-private-biz-debate
 
bigbillyrocka

bigbillyrocka

Well-Known Member
Did the chain gangs of yester year get paid while breaking rocks or digging out ditches? I don't think so...
Would i want to get paid while in prison? Sure, but looking from the outside in, making flags, furniture and electrical bits sounds a whole lot more pleasing than busting my back like a slave, Regardless of getting paid.
 
billybob420

billybob420

Well-Known Member
Most those prisoners shouldn't be there in the first place.

The amount of work being done in prisons for dirt cheap also keeps wages low on the outside. They used to have regulations to keep that from happening (ie, prisoners could only work for the State), not anymore.
 
guy incognito

guy incognito

Well-Known Member
Yes they should. Then they need to cut me a check to pay for their room and board, which i'm currently paying.
 
racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
billybob420 said:
Most those prisoners shouldn't be there in the first place.

The amount of work being done in prisons for dirt cheap also keeps wages low on the outside. They used to have regulations to keep that from happening (ie, prisoners could only work for the State), not anymore.
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idk billy, do you really think a company is going to charge less for a product on the open market because they're being paid diddly squat for labor? idk, i'm just asking honestly..


i just don't get the slave labor aspect of paying prisoners pennies on the dollar honestly, after all, you're already in prison doing your time, why the need to get raped working for pennies on the dollar?
not only that, lots of these per profit prisons have prisoners doing jobs that compete with jobs in the open market.
 
billybob420

billybob420

Well-Known Member
racerboy71 said:
idk billy, do you really think a company is going to charge less for a product on the open market because they're being paid diddly squat for labor? idk, i'm just asking honestly..


i just don't get the slave labor aspect of paying prisoners pennies on the dollar honestly, after all, you're already in prison doing your time, why the need to get raped working for pennies on the dollar?
not only that, lots of these per profit prisons have prisoners doing jobs that compete with jobs in the open market.
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Hell no, that's not what I was trying to say at all. I mean that the WAGES on the outside are kept low from prison labor, not the price of goods.
 
racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
billybob420 said:
Hell no, that's not what I was trying to say at all. I mean that the WAGES on the outside are kept low from prison labor, not the price of goods.
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lol, gotcha.. was wondering about that as i was right there with you then i guess i lost the plot, lol.. i agree now of course.. :D
 
neosapien

neosapien

Well-Known Member
Interesting topic RB... not sure where I fall on this one. Taking away jobs from the private sector I think is the heart of the discussion. I think I'm for against it. :-)
 
racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
Grandpapy said:
You mean to tell me I can get a job and all I have to do is go to prison?
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sure, if you don't mind working for $.15 / hour, knock your socks off..

and remember people, most of the prisons are making millions of $$$'s off of the people that are inprisoned there ffs... not like these for profit prisons aren't making money hand over fist ...
 
Grandpapy

Grandpapy

Well-Known Member
Private Prisons mimic the Chinese workforce, really it's the corp way. Come on guys join in, Corps will save "America".
 
neosapien

neosapien

Well-Known Member
racerboy71 said:
sure, if you don't mind working for $.15 / hour, knock your socks off..

and remember people, most of the prisons are making millions of $$$'s off of the people that are inprisoned there ffs... not like these for profit prisons aren't making money hand over fist ...
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Not to mention the money that comes from the per diems per prisoner the governments pay them. Er I mean budgets to them.
 
Total Head

Total Head

Well-Known Member
i don't think prisoners need to be paid minimum wage, but i would have less of a problem with them making more money if we could get our prison system in order. giving a convicted felon access to thousands of dollars a year on their books while in prison is a major security risk, and prison isn't very secure to begin with. I'm also not keen on people who are in prison having the chance to save more money than i can. their rent is a hell of a lot cheaper than mine and they'd be making nearly as much as me. they have far fewer expenses than free people. they don't need minimum wage, but they should be offered a chance to make a little more money if they prove to be model prisoners/good workers.

i'm of the belief that prison jobs are more for the benefit of having something constructive/different to do and building job skills than they are for making prisoners (or some company) money. prisoners should mostly be working jobs that the government can't afford to pay free people to do, or things like farming food for prisoners to eat and making products for the prison system and government agencies. private companies should NOT be making loot off prison labor, nor should they be running prisons.
 
Leonardo de Garden

Leonardo de Garden

Active Member
I think the problem is that they aren't government run anymore. There have been times when inmates worked at growing food etc for the prison, and other state work which to me made sense. Then of course some fat cat had to figure out a way to make a sweat shop and a buck out of the deal, and there is the problem with profit prisons-healthcare-public services. They aren't for the public once they go profit, they are for profit.
 
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