Support

by Julie Dancer

Created on: October 11, 2010

The USA has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. 75 in every 100,000 people in the USA are in prison, and 1 in every 31 adults are on probation or in jail. That is a huge chunk of the countries adult population - the working population. The loss of these healthy and often smart people to a life that is funded by taxes is a massive economic loss.

On top of that, prison often fails to stop people from committing further crimes once they are out. By taking them out of employment, prisoners often lose work experience, skills and the self-discipline to hold down a job. A prisoner who successfully fights off a drug addiction, may emerge from prison completely unemployable despite their hard work and hopes for change. It doesn't take long before poverty and rejection send them back to prison.

Since working is therefore good for the economy and good for the prisoners, it stands to reason that letting them earn a wage - one that they can save up and help them to make a better start when they leave - can only be a good idea. Many jobs can be performed from home, and it would not take much tweaking to set up a system to help prisoners participate. Answering support calls could be a cheap way of stopping companies from shipping their call-centers abroad. Stuffing envelopes, packing boxes - the list of possible jobs goes on. Provide limited internet access, and prisoners could do even more jobs. Prisoners that were considered safe could be sent on day release to dry cleaners, warehouses, factories and so on.

Safety concerns would have to be addressed, but we already have systems in place for tracking people on probation, and these could easily be extended to prisoners on day release. A close-by factory could even have some minor security features added to make it ideal for prisoners to work there. Calls are monitored in every call-center, and one based in a prison would be no different. 

The benefit for companies would a be a cheap workforce. The benefit for the state would be additional tax revenue to help off-set the cost of prisons. The benefit to the prisoner would be an income they could save or send to family on the outside, and employment for when they were released. Not to mention the less obvious but no less important benefits such as self-respect and a feeling of being a part of society.

Overall, it is easy to see why prisoners should be permitted to work and earn an income whilst in prison. The benefits far outweigh any negatives, and safety concerns can be easily addressed. Isn't it time to let this part of the population start earning a living and contributing to the country? Perhaps not all of them would take the opportunity, but enough would to make it worthwhile.

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