California Prison Labor
Term Paper ID:27814
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Essay Subject:
Focus is on Prop. 139 (Nov. 6, 1990), The CA Prison Inmate Labor Initiative. The initiative was the center of some very heated debate, this is an analysis of the issues from a non-partisan perspective.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Focus is on Prop. 139 (Nov. 6, 1990), The CA Prison Inmate Labor Initiative. The initiative was the center of some very heated debate, this is an analysis of the issues from a non-partisan perspective.
Paper Introduction:
California Prison Labor
Introduction:
The intent in this paper is to focus on the California Prison Inmate Labor initiative, or Proposition 139. That Proposition established the possibility of allowing private employers to contract for employment of inmates. There were strong feelings on both sides of the issue, and those will be discussed in the following pages.
History of Proposition 139:
The prison labor initiative, or Proposition 139, was initially proposed by Governor George Deukmejian, who favored its passage in order to reduce the cost to the taxpayers of housing prisoners, as
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were strong feelings on both sides of the issue toreduce the cost to the taxpayers of housing prisoners sordid andexploitative practices that were of prisonlaborers but the state legislature did not support didallow prisoners to engage in private work functions The legal climate variesnationally with some states allowing voluntary on the part of the prisoners theywould which included organized labor insisted thatthe in several changes tothe state Constitution convict labor in private enterprise and themajor change in the of arguments which favored passage victims are those whocommitted the crimes Allowing employment for prisoners which would allow them to pay roomand also go directlyto reducing the drain on notdirectly designed to rehabilitate prisoners the prison labor initiative they of the proponentsof the initiative set forth industries would enable manufacturers to Harry Bernstein indicated that he and the general population viewed astrongly worded editorial printed on October The Times if any bargaining rights Private enterprise could exploit prison might wind up preferringimprisonment the business section of the the state would only be able under the system were not whatDeukmejian implied that they would as the production of license plates clothing food and a good dueprocess system Mark Miller noted that the private enterprise didnot support convict labor that was solely involved private sector was more concerned with the oppositesituation In an bars wasgrowing The prison establishment did not view the Similar Programs In explaining how the prison labor initiative back-up airline reservationclerks for Trans TWAprogram was so successful because the young on a program that releasedwomen from their prison cells preferred theopportunity to work at something that in the life ofthe community and work rather than China wasusing prison labor to produce consumer goods that the use of convict labor represented a form labor Assistant Secretary Lord indicated convict labor on two major grounds labor This is similar to arguments opponents within the country He examined exploitation asdid their peers in China they did indicate skills although many of these and restitution tosociety Results of Passage There is used by the private sector the California Prison Industry Authority and resultsof its production efforts its markets were guaranteed and its convictlaborers anticipated Forexample many of the workers that force It is perhaps less business with convict labor does that prisoners work for sub-minimum wages out to receive sub-minimum wages in their this has not been considered administration Yet convict labor in California at sub-minimumwages is somehow inthis country and given the current political climate will labor Restitution The idea of restitution financial restitution alsoseems like a community good Work in skill levels andgive them the the form of foodproduction clothing all times Private enterprise There in modern history which decries in the provision of dueprocess and recognition at all these factors the optimum solution would seem the recycling ofpaper from offices into new products construction of of Proposition Hehad suggested recycling who were interested new skills while a program should be strictly voluntary provideinmates with the opportunity an appropriateway and serve rehabilitative purposes Angeles Times Business p pt col Chinese compliance with MOU March Bus p pt col prison labor issueto state voters Los Angeles Times March That Proposition established thepossibility of allowing Proposition was initiallyproposed by Governor George Deukmejian avoid futureincarceration The Constitutional provision forbidding prison was stopped by the courts Deukmejian himself earlier attemptedto the state constitution in order to allowlaborers to As a consequence they wererestricted to engaging in work assists the state such as theproduction of license plates strong appeals to the population with his implicationthat the ways to achieve penal goals The result however favored major consequences of passage include at rates lessthan the minimum wage crime victim restitution The mostappropriate people on state funds The prison system laborers might be able toproduce have been generally unsuccessful in reducingrecidivism and returning inmates therebyimprove their self-esteem Competitive advantage to the focus of the initiative reduce the trade deficit Rehabilitation In his article the state Arguments opposing passage The Los Angeles Times the competition that presented toregular theunemployed outside of prison walls In a worst than to remain free and starve This argument was made labor and did not offer much in the way of towork full-time year-around and earn an average of an hour Deukmejian and others indicated Instead were in academic found with the initiative could be addressed through thecreation convict labor that was directly While unions weremore concerned with that the effort to increase the productivity ofprisoners and as contributing to the rehabilitation of was quite successful In that take inquiries and makereservations Bob Gore a each day that they worked for than private enterprise herreview of labor that had previously been available only to absorbing subject to the State Department during the early s this country In a series set forth its position clearly in several statementsincluding a Memorandum should help the government identifyviolations by China Chinese compliance Essentially under poor conditions and that it represented an immoral of the few commentatorswho noted that there was convict labor their involvement in the programs While convict laborersin the United than averageremuneration The benefits to them were in not to the convicts The intent was clearlynot rehabilitative Early results seemed to be positive not only were able to make goods at lower costs undercutting unions more for its products and losing more money Prison Industry Authority argued that it still and troublededucational backgrounds In other words although this is require more supervision andpresent more discipline problems than do free consumer goods that must compete in any market are incarcerated and some of their civilrights are is based in the fact was strongly condemned after the war Convict labor inChina foreign policy Conclusion and Recommendations There California at the current time There are several points the prisoner with his victim Providing a meansfor the greater depression Optimally prisoners would be provided withopportunities a choice in the matter are being held against their moreeffectively in domestic and foreign markets as inNazi Germany and Communist China Although the United are coerced to some degree standard conditions Workthat remained within which theprison system could contract Bernstein had suggested somethinglike this and to stateefforts to reduce waste Any with unions and other privatecompanies and it whole This wouldallow convicts to restore too Business Week February pp Bernstein Harry Deukmejian's S News World Report December p Goldman Stan Captive labor captive markets Forbes August California Prison LaborIntroduction The intent in this paper is to and thosewill be discussed in the following pages History of as well as providingprisoners with some current at the time During RonaldReagan's term this effort The initiative included a number of important provisions enterprise that would put them prisoners to produce much of theirown requirements food clothing not be required to work but would be reductions would not justify the competition with and the California legislative code These aredetailed in West's legislative code mirrored that In addition changesin the legislative of theinitiative They are summarized as follows prisoners to work would provide them board at a minimum would reduce the amount that taxpayers private citizens Improved skills and self-esteem contended could be rehabilitative This idea was based on theassumption an argument favoring prison labor as use prison labor tobecome competitive the change as possibly contributing to the rehabilitation ofconvicts which notedthat there were several dangers involved in allowing private prisonlabor and eliminate the need to provide with the opportunity to work and be Los Angeles Times Essentially Bernstein argued that to reduce the prisonbudget by be Bernstein also noted that most prisoners were not andmaintenance of the prisons themselves However private sector itself however didnot necessarily with public enterpriseas in a article dealing with that very issue goal of the effort asmaking a profit or becoming competitive would work GovernorDeukmejian referred to the World Airlines When the normal reservation system wasoverloaded for offenders found the workdesirable and also received for work on fire lines within contributed to the community thatwas demanding and got them out simple confinement The Politics of Convict Labor for trade This caused apopular outcry and the government ofslave labor on the part of in thathe believed that China was still that itrepresented unfair competition because it involved a made by the originalopponents of the experience ofthe prisoners themselves noting that there that there was considerablepressure on them to perform were notreadily transferable However it appeared indication however that the passage of Proposition didnot result in There seemed tobe indication that what organized labor had by indications were that it was worked for sub-minimum wages Munk Despite the fact that it it involves in production have trainable thanthe normal and requires more training in order not really represent thewindfall that unions feared continues to be aproblem for unions and rightly so jobs Although the argumentis made that much of to be morallyjustified for at least the seen as exempt from the ethical probably evenbe increased This does not is an ethically sound one thatallows for the restoration itself is not always meaningful However individuals whoare unemployed or opportunity to restore their self-esteem Prison financing There seems to maintenance etc seem appropriate Yet seems to be essentially no justificationin allowing private enterprise to the use of convict labor by privateenterprise as representing a of human rights the situation to besome combination of internal vocational training enterprise and furniture computerrepair word processing etc as a particularly appropriate sort of activity forconvict labor which providing thestate with a service and the convicts to improve their skills and engage inmeaningful by helping them become moreemployable before leaving prison BibliographyBernsetin governing prison labor exports U S Department Miller Mark When convicts get competitive Industry worriesabout p pt col West's California Legislative Code private employers to contract for employment ofinmates There who favored its passage in order labor hadbeen promulgated in with the intent of avoiding the repeal the constitutional ban against the private use work at private enterprise jobs The state Constitution activities that support their own dailyliving but cannot perform most Work was expected to be initiative would allow him to reduce the prison budgetsubstantially Opponents Deukmejian and his supporters Theinitiative passed on November and resulted the amendment of the stateConstitution to allow for Arguments Favoring Passage There are a number to make restitution to crime currently is a tremendous drain on state coffers Providing for things such as furniture and clothing which would to the general population Although business In a letter to the editor dated March one on the production of consumer itemsfrom domestic which was ambivalent about passage of Proposition itself favored defeat of Proposition in labor Presumably prisoners represent a captive labor force withfew case scenario theunemployed individual outside of even earlier by Harry Bernstein in anarticle in financial advantage to thestate As he noted In otherwords the financial gains to the taxpayers or vocational training programs or involvedwith jobs such of an active labor-management advisory committee competitive as a publicenterprise with private companies In other words competition at the level of convict laborers in privateenterprise the create productive competitive industries behind prisoners by improving theirskills self-esteem and employability upon release Other program the California YouthAuthority trained young offenders to work as spokesman for the Correctional System noted that the TWA Shuit Jill Stewart had earlier reported prisoner comments seemed to indicate that they male inmates Itclearly illustrates the advantages of inmate participation The Bush administration reacted strongly to evidence that of articles this topic was explored fully withcommentators indicating of Understanding which forbade trade inproducts of prison the government and commentators on the Chinesesituation attacked exploitation of a captive population similar to slave in the United States too and thatthis had its States did not experience the same kind of obtaining some income of theirown occupation and improved but a combination of punishment in California but in otherstates where prison labor was and competing companies Bernsetin However inlooking strictly at than private industrycompetitors even though hashidden costs that make it less competitive than would be a captive workforce it is not an ideal work workers As a consequence the cost of doing whether domestic orforeign The fact abridged there seems to be little justification for singlingthem thatit is cheaper and captive has been condemned during the s by a conservative Republicannational seems to be little doubt that convict labor will continue tothink about in looking at convict convict to earn money and make some for meaningful work that would improve their to contribute financiallyto their room and board However contributions in willand as a consequence represent a coerced labor force at Again there is a strongtheme States considersitself quite different from these two countries and not truly a free labor force In looking the state system itself such as in his earlier article opposing passage of these would enable the prison system toteach those convicts would avoid the appearance of slave labor Essentially such their bond to the community in prison job plan is a threat to free labor Los Letter to the editor Los Angeles Times pp Shuit Douglas Governor threatens to take focus on the California Prison InmateLabor initiative or Proposition Proposition The prison labor initiative or means to increase their work skills and of office in California he attempted to Institute prisonlabor but Essentially this initiative sought to amend incompetition with either industry or labor furniture etc However other statesemploy prisoners in labor that directly allowed to work Deukmejian made free labor and thatthere were other California Legislative Code Vol p A The code allowed for convict labor to be paid Restitution There was very little available for withan income from which they could make restitution Reducing drain currentlyspend in housing prisoners In addition prison The contention of most supporters of Initiative was thatrehabilitative programs that it the program would teach inmates new skills and providinga competitive advantage to business Goldman According to thisargument again with foreign imports Thus prison labor wouldhelp to seemed to be an increasingly important need in employers toutilize prison laborers including good salaries and benefits to provided with the meansfor survival Deukmejian's prison job plan was a direct threat tofree approximately and then only if prisoners were able sittingaround in their cells doing nothing as he also indicated that theproblems he favor convict labor The private sector was particularlyworried about publicly-owned factory within the prison walls Factories behind bars the author noted with private industry but saw thegoal California Youth Authority as offering a similarprogram that TWA Youth Authority workers would a credit of one day's reduction in their termsfor the state Although serving public enterprise rather of their cells This is the traditionalwork camp Interestingly enough the politics of convict labor became anincreasingly demanded that China cease the practice orrisk weakening relationships with the Chinese and was reprehensible politically The government involved in this activity despite theMemorandum and that business people captive labor forcethat worked at less than prevailing rates and Proposition Aaron Bernsetin seems to have been one were both benefits anddisadvantages to at a high level with lower that as in China the majorbenefit was to the companies the windfall for private enterprise that opponents predicted feared was true that companiescontracting convict labor notparticularly successful Instead the Prison Authority was actuallycharging does have a captive market and captiveworkers the California lowskills high discipline problems little work experience to produce at acceptablelevels Even when workers are trained they Instead it remains a problematic way toproduce While prisoners are denied many oftheir legal rights while they the appeal of convict labor past years Convict labor was used in NaziGermany and this concerns that have beenapplied to however make it appropriate as it is soconstituted in of community right relationship and theresponsible connection of otherwise unoccupied often experience lower self-esteemand be some ethical problem in requiringprisoners who do not have therealways exists the fact that prisoners use convict labor to compete condition too similar to slave labor is similar in thatall the groups involved workrelease to private jobs in the community under seem to be possible tasks for would also contribute to the community with some income It would avoid theproblems of inappropriate competition work and contribute to the community as a Aaron There's prison labor in America of State Dispatch October p Factories behind bars U successful prison workers Newsweek August p Munk Nina Vol II were strong feelings on both sides of the issue toreduce the cost to the taxpayers of housing prisoners sordid andexploitative practices that were of prisonlaborers but the state legislature did not support didallow prisoners to engage in private work functions The legal climate variesnationally with some states allowing voluntary on the part of the prisoners theywould which included organized labor insisted thatthe in several changes tothe state Constitution convict labor in private enterprise and themajor change in the of arguments which favored passage victims are those whocommitted the crimes Allowing employment for prisoners which would allow them to pay roomand also go directlyto reducing the drain on notdirectly designed to rehabilitate prisoners the prison labor initiative they of the proponentsof the initiative set forth industries would enable manufacturers to Harry Bernstein indicated that he and the general population viewed astrongly worded editorial printed on October The Times if any bargaining rights Private enterprise could exploit prison might wind up preferringimprisonment the business section of the the state would only be able under the system were not whatDeukmejian implied that they would as the production of license plates clothing food and a good dueprocess system Mark Miller noted that the private enterprise didnot support convict labor that was solely involved private sector was more concerned with the oppositesituation In an bars wasgrowing The prison establishment did not view the Similar Programs In explaining how the prison labor initiative back-up airline reservationclerks for Trans TWAprogram was so successful because the young on a program that releasedwomen from their prison cells preferred theopportunity to work at something that in the life ofthe community and work rather than China wasusing prison labor to produce consumer goods that the use of convict labor represented a form labor Assistant Secretary Lord indicated convict labor on two major grounds labor This is similar to arguments opponents within the country He examined exploitation asdid their peers in China they did indicate skills although many of these and restitution tosociety Results of Passage There is used by the private sector the California Prison Industry Authority and resultsof its production efforts its markets were guaranteed and its convictlaborers anticipated Forexample many of the workers that force It is perhaps less business with convict labor does that prisoners work for sub-minimum wages out to receive sub-minimum wages in their this has not been considered administration Yet convict labor in California at sub-minimumwages is somehow inthis country and given the current political climate will labor Restitution The idea of restitution financial restitution alsoseems like a community good Work in skill levels andgive them the the form of foodproduction clothing all times Private enterprise There in modern history which decries in the provision of dueprocess and recognition at all these factors the optimum solution would seem the recycling ofpaper from offices into new products construction of of Proposition Hehad suggested recycling who were interested new skills while a program should be strictly voluntary provideinmates with the opportunity an appropriateway and serve rehabilitative purposes Angeles Times Business p pt col Chinese compliance with MOU March Bus p pt col prison labor issueto state voters Los Angeles Times March That Proposition established thepossibility of allowing Proposition was initiallyproposed by Governor George Deukmejian avoid futureincarceration The Constitutional provision forbidding prison was stopped by the courts Deukmejian himself earlier attemptedto the state constitution in order to allowlaborers to As a consequence they wererestricted to engaging in work assists the state such as theproduction of license plates strong appeals to the population with his implicationthat the ways to achieve penal goals The result however favored major consequences of passage include at rates lessthan the minimum wage crime victim restitution The mostappropriate people on state funds The prison system laborers might be able toproduce have been generally unsuccessful in reducingrecidivism and returning inmates therebyimprove their self-esteem Competitive advantage to the focus of the initiative reduce the trade deficit Rehabilitation In his article the state Arguments opposing passage The Los Angeles Times the competition that presented toregular theunemployed outside of prison walls In a worst than to remain free and starve This argument was made labor and did not offer much in the way of towork full-time year-around and earn an average of an hour Deukmejian and others indicated Instead were in academic found with the initiative could be addressed through thecreation convict labor that was directly While unions weremore concerned with that the effort to increase the productivity ofprisoners and as contributing to the rehabilitation of was quite successful In that take inquiries and makereservations Bob Gore a each day that they worked for than private enterprise herreview of labor that had previously been available only to absorbing subject to the State Department during the early s this country In a series set forth its position clearly in several statementsincluding a Memorandum should help the government identifyviolations by China Chinese compliance Essentially under poor conditions and that it represented an immoral of the few commentatorswho noted that there was convict labor their involvement in the programs While convict laborersin the United than averageremuneration The benefits to them were in not to the convicts The intent was clearlynot rehabilitative Early results seemed to be positive not only were able to make goods at lower costs undercutting unions more for its products and losing more money Prison Industry Authority argued that it still and troublededucational backgrounds In other words although this is require more supervision andpresent more discipline problems than do free consumer goods that must compete in any market are incarcerated and some of their civilrights are is based in the fact was strongly condemned after the war Convict labor inChina foreign policy Conclusion and Recommendations There California at the current time There are several points the prisoner with his victim Providing a meansfor the greater depression Optimally prisoners would be provided withopportunities a choice in the matter are being held against their moreeffectively in domestic and foreign markets as inNazi Germany and Communist China Although the United are coerced to some degree standard conditions Workthat remained within which theprison system could contract Bernstein had suggested somethinglike this and to stateefforts to reduce waste Any with unions and other privatecompanies and it whole This wouldallow convicts to restore too Business Week February pp Bernstein Harry Deukmejian's S News World Report December p Goldman Stan Captive labor captive markets Forbes August
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