Can Inmates Become an Integral Part of the U.S. Workforce?

The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.

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INTRODUCTION

American jails and prisons, for the first time in history, now hold more than 2,000,000 inmates. While the import of this milepost may be more symbolic than real, its fiscal impact is quite real regardless of ones politics. At $40 billion annually, incarceration is a major budget item for most states. So it is likewise significant that the most recent data shows that more than two thirds of all state ex-offenders are re-arrested in three years. One successful program that has demonstrated success in reducing recidivism is prison work in industries. Yet, only 7% of state and federal inmates work in industries programs—despite compelling evidence that such programs benefit inmates, public safety and the economy as a whole. Stiff opposition from a narrow segment of employers and organized labor threatened with competition has meant that efforts to expand inmate labor have generally been stymied. At the federal level, there are active Congressional attempts to severely cut back on inmate labor. This paper discusses why and how reforming the current Federal Prison Industries program by opening up prisons to greater private sector prison employment is good public policy that can over come resistance.

Note: This report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format (PDF).

The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.

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