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
CazLand
October 10th, 2011
1:45 pm
Pat-IMO it should’nt be voluntary.Voluntary would be if the taxpayers wanted to foot the bill for convicted criminals expenses.my vote would be no. Lets go back to letting the jails payin for themselves.
Teresa
October 10th, 2011
1:46 pm
I retract that they should make minimum wage
Freedom Lover
October 10th, 2011
1:48 pm
Pat. Oh yes it will be voluntary wink wink . Your ass wants to get out of jail you will volunteer. Minor offenses will serve more and more time as we need to support the crops. Cops will be quicker to make an arrest if are short handed. I ok with prisoners doing hard labor but do not mix it up with the free market. Which sheriff is going to get donations from the farmers the one that feeds them cheap labor or the one that reduces crime
CazLand
October 10th, 2011
1:49 pm
db-IMO this isn’t bout the small percentage of inmates that may have been incarcerated wrongly. This is about using inmate labor for the good of the taxpayer footin the bill to house them.
Pat
October 10th, 2011
1:50 pm
CazLand, I agree with you. I was citing the article so people would stop yelling out that this is slavery and how they are force to do it under this new plan, which they are not.
Dave
October 10th, 2011
1:51 pm
So, wouldn’t this hurt the law abiding citizens that want to be firefighters? If ever I have an emergency, do I want convicted criminals in my home to take care of it? Why are we even talking about taking away jobs from those that deserve a shot? Maybe those of us looking for work should commit a crime first.
D. Clay
October 10th, 2011
1:52 pm
@ PAT…I USE CAPS RESPECTFULLY TO MAKE MY POINT VERY CLEAR…..I DON’T CARE ABOUT IT BEING VOLUNTARY AND DON’T CARE HOW IT IS PHRASED TO MAKE IT SOUND ACCEPTABLE….THE LAW IS CLEAR; IT IS ILLEGAL TO UTILIZE INMATES IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA IN ANY BUSINESS CONDUCTED FOR PROFIT…THEY CAN’T VOLUNTEER FOR THAT WHICH IS ILLEGAL……THE EXECUTIVE DEPT.OF GOVT CANNOT DELEGATE THAT POWER TO A PRIVATE PERSON NO MORE THAN THAN THE JUDICIAL DEPT CAN DELEGATE IT’S AUTHORITY TO A FOR PROFIT BUSINESS TO CONDUCT COURT.
yesop
October 10th, 2011
1:52 pm
Columbus/Muscogee Co, GA has been using prisinors from the local jail for garbage pickup & I am sure other county needs for the last 50 years that I know of — pray tell whats wrong with that — while in presion they are wards of the taxpayers — so reather than lounge awaiting there day in court – work for the one keeping you & remember getting there was your choice !!!
Great Idea !!!
homer
October 10th, 2011
1:52 pm
If you believe that illegal immigrants are criminals, then what’s the difference if a prisoner or an illegal immigrant performs the work? If prisoners are good enough to send into the fields then they are good enough to come to your house and fight a fire. Why is it any worse for a firefighter to deal with the criminal element than a farmer?
CazLand
October 10th, 2011
1:56 pm
Dave-under different circumstances I would agree. But as long as our state gov is in the red I vote to have inmate labor whereever & whenever we can till we get our house in order. I would prefer them used in other area’s to be honest but anywhere we can save I’m for. By the way,sorry for your circumstance.