Thatcherism behind bars

Press, 23 February 1989, Page 12

Thatcherism behind bars

PRISONERS Should “work as hard as the taxpayers who provide their keep,” says Governor George Deukmejian. He wants California to repeal a nineteenthcentury constitutional provision, similar to laws in many states, banning the use of convict labour by private enterprise. Mr Deukmejian envisages putting prisoners to work at marketwage scales. Some of their earnings would reimburse the state for feeding and housing them, some would go as restitution to victims, and some would help to support prisoners’ families. Since 1984, taking advantage of the loophole that youth offenders are technically wards of the court and not prisoners, California has been putting young convicts to work. Some work for T.W.A. as ticket agents,

operating by telephone from inside the big house. Others assemble computer circuit boards, do sheetmetal work and do photocopying. In one small operation 16 young people package plastic eating utensils for a fast-food restaurant.

Adult prisoners also work, but only for the state. The best paid job, at SUSI an hour, is fighting forest fires. And yes, prisoners still make car licence plates, as well as furniture for state offices, prison clothing, mattresses and state flags. Pay runs from 2 cents to 80 cents an hour.

The Deukmejian team boasts that more adult prisoners are at work then ever before; the big growth area has been making beds, chairs and clothing for all the state’s new prisoners. California has added 22,000 prison

spaces since 1982, for a total of 76,800.

Federal law bars prison-made goods from interstate commerce, but in 1984 Congress allowed for some experimental exceptions, of which California’s youth programme is one. Organised labour has fought the idea of prisoners taking work away from free men for over a century, and is determined to keep resisting. Earlier proposals similar to Mr Deukmejian’s latest one have gone no where in California’s legislature, which is controlled by the Democrats. But the sheer size of the prison population forces fresh thinking. In California it costs SUSI9,OOO a year to feed, clothe and supervise one prisoner.

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