Government turns to prisoners for cheap labor
The road to riches is paved with cheap labor. (See: China) And you don’t get much cheaper than prisoners.
A skilled onion picker can earn $10 an hour.
Recently, the state of Georgia announced a plan to use prisoners to harvest crops. Why? A new law pretty much ran off Hispanic field hands.
As federal employees celebrate Columbus, perhaps history’s most famous and geographically confused immigrant, the lack of onion pickers in Vidalia brings crocodile tears to the eyes.
The prisoner farm plan comes after a failed scheme to seduce probationers into doing the dirty work.
Now, a Georgia county is planning to use inmates to man fire stations.
A properly trained firefighter costs upwards of $30,000 a year. An inmate will work a lot cheaper – Camden County hopes to save $500,000 a year.
Of course, when my flaming roof is about to collapse, I’d prefer a guy to show up with an ax that knows how to use it for its law-abiding purpose.
Georgia isn’t the only place giving jobs to the undeserving: Indiana’s War Memorial saves $400,000 a year since using inmates ($1.50 per hour) instead of a landscaping company.
With a seemingly limitless number of criminals to employ, the jobless rate may not go down anytime soon.
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125 comments Add your comment
art
October 10th, 2011
1:06 pm
Dawg dad, the next time the tea klux klan has a rally, round them up too.
camille
October 10th, 2011
1:07 pm
reverse cheap slave labor… why would be pay a prisoner less than a “regular” fire fighter? At some point, we are going to do away with the regular fir fighter or pay them less… Everything that is shiny isn’t gold.
Teresa
October 10th, 2011
1:09 pm
They don’t educate in prison anymore number one, number two, the “court appointed lawyers working pro bono can give a fuggin care if the person is guilty or not, they do not give a honest try because there is no paycheck attached and most likely desensitized. Thus the overcrowding in prisons and some are guilty but others cannot afford the high priced lawyers, like an OJ, like Casey etc., clearly guilty in some form. Some of you guys cry about my tax dollar this my tax dollars that, well what do you propose? I will say that I do not feel comfortable with an inmate in the firehouse; BUT I have no problem with them doing the jobs that are now absent by undocumented workers due to the new law. I’m not with the death penalty I am for real rehabilitation. Let them farm, it’s not reverting to slavery, they are paying back their debt to society. A cot, three squares and recreation has coddled some imprisoned and angered some. But what does it do to have them receive three nasty meals (albeit a meal) a bed, and small recreation when there is no longer education? Some of you that comment say my money goes to educating a criminal in some ways you are right, they learn to become better at what they do, the human mind is resilient, there is no more degrees in prison, there are trades to a certain degree pun intended and limited books. I say let them take the jobs that are now vacant because of the new immigration law, at least that may develop a skill. Our infrastructure is bombed out and depleted. And just maybe when they return home they can go back to that same place and get a job making a little more or start their own business because we already know the world will black list you when you’re a felon the world does not forgive, but I pray that individual people will take a chance on people really wanting a better life. Stop the madness stop the hate and let’s put our money where it belongs and that is with us, the people! I’m not asking give hard criminals’ a Mercedes and a mansion but discern when and when not to take a chance god willing, but don’t damn everyone to hell. What if you made a mistake in life and the world had to judge you? You would be floating dead in a river or lynched 2011 style or back to the same dark life because you can’t seem to get a leg up because of your past. Have some compassion, common sense, and respect for your neighbor and not be a fool.
Ps spell trolls suck it you get what I am saying
Teresa
October 10th, 2011
1:12 pm
Also, the labor they perform should be minimum wage at least
Richard Joseph
October 10th, 2011
1:14 pm
It’s rather obvious that many people commenting on this haven’t actually bothered to read the linked articles and are just having knee-jerk reactions based on an opinion piece.
GT GRAD
October 10th, 2011
1:17 pm
Awesome plan/idea……..I wish I had thought of it myself; wait a minute, I did……..I have been telling anyone who would listen for 5-6 years that we should do this.
I also think we should have the inmates (inside the walls of the prisons) grow crops, raise chickens/eggs, tend to cattle (meat & milk), etc. to reduce the cost of the food they eat. The “inside the walls” activities should also include 24/7 production facilities (furniture, clothing, footwear, light fixtures, brooms, mops, etc.)! The inmates should have jobs and be productive as long as they are in prison.
Outside of the walls……….we should never pay full price for another road (repair, expansion or new construction). Buy the equipment and hire the current operators as State employees to train the inmates to build roads!
atlpaddy
October 10th, 2011
1:19 pm
Where is all of the screaming on the right about “the free market!” blah, blah, blah?
Also, those in the General Assembly should be patting themselves on the back for taking the lead in combatting illegal immigration…..and for killing off Georgia’s agriculture economy. Bravo.
Rosa
October 10th, 2011
1:26 pm
I think this is a great idea. Prisoners will feel better if they go out of prison and work. They need to get pay a little bit more and they can save that money for when they get out of prison. I am sure that a lot of them are willing to go to work to be able to make some money. It’s good for the farmers and it’s good for the prisoners.
D. Clay
October 10th, 2011
1:28 pm
It’s a shame when those trusted TO UPHOLD THE LAW, TURNS AND BREAKS THE LAW. O.C.G.A.-42-5-60 makes it absolutely clear that INMATES SHALL NOT BE USED IN ANY BUSINESS CONDUCTED FOR PROFIT. There is a major distinction between going to prison and being worked in contrast to being utilized in the private sector to gain a profit from. The Federal and State Constitution guarantee’s citizens from being utilized as involuntary servants by ANOTHER PERSON….The Department of Corrections is an AGENT OF THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNMENT AND VESTED WITH THE AUTHORITY TO USE INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE RESULTING FROM CRIMINAL CONVICTION….THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT IS NOT PERMITTED TO DELEGATE THAT AUTHORITY TO ANOTHER PERSON..i.e., FOR-PROFIT BUSINESSES. In the eyes of the Law, FOR PROFIT BUSINESSES IS THE SAME AS A PERSON, AND IS THEREFORE PROHIBITED UNDER LAW TO COMPEL ANOTHER PERSON TO INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE…..SLAVERY IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY!!!! THERE IS A GEORGIA SUPREME COURT CASE THAT CLEARLY ESTABLISHES THIS TRUTH: PENITENTIARY CO.#2 v. ROUNDTREE. THAT SOUTH WILL NEVER RISE AGAIN.
PD
October 10th, 2011
1:30 pm
Slavery with a new name