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As this country - and for that matter, the rest of the world - attempts to dig out of a three-year global recession that includes significant levels of unemployment as well as under-employment, the issue of inmates "taking jobs away from law-abiding citizens" continues to have an effect on jail industries.
On an average day, nearly 20 percent of all jail inmates work six or more hours. It could be argued that most jails could not operate without the efforts of inmate laborers. Although some jails find ways to engage a higher proportion of inmates in productive activities, concerns about negative public reaction often hold others back. So, what would happen to the U.S. economy if more of the Nation's two million inmates joined the workforce?
Two years ago, the authors presented in this publication highlights from the May 1999 National Symposium on the Economics of Inmate Labor Force Participation, hosted by George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Five prominent U.S. economists presented expert opinions on whether inmate participation in the labor force would be positive or negative for the U.S. economy. They also explored the nature of the impact that inmate participation would have on civilian labor. The experts then offered their recommendations for U.S. inmate labor force policies. In light of ongoing economic challenges, those highlights are again presented here.
Inmate Labor: Positive or Negative?
Although a reading of each economist's opinion is necessary to gain a full appreciation of their conclusions, there was general agreement on the following:
* Inmate labor force participation would be good for the U.S. economy because it would increase the Nation's output of goods and services. Inmate employment would increase gross domestic product (GDP) and generally be good for consumers, business, government, and taxpayers. Inmate participation would have special significance for compensated victims, inmates, and inmates' children and families. However, the experts noted that the overall economic benefits would likely be small because the inmate population represents such a small percentage of the U.S. workforce. Also, on average, inmates...