By Mike Grimala
masslive.com
BOSTON — The state’s Department of Correction is launching a program that provides paid remote work experience for incarcerated people.
The pilot program will last six months and allow participants to work 20 hours per week, according to a Thursday statement from the Massachusetts DOC. Workers will be supervised and earn $25 per hour.
The program is a partnership between the DOC and the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison.
Two incarcerated people will participate in the program initially. Both have earned bachelor’s degrees through Boston College’s Prison Education Program and were selected via a competitive hiring process, according to the DOC.
Participants will work from a designated space at MCI-Shirley, where correctional staff will supervise.
“This pilot program gives incarcerated individuals the opportunity to develop professional skills, use workplace technology, and gain valuable experience that will support a successful transition upon release,” DOC Commissioner Shawn Jenkins said.
The DOC offers education and job training in fields such as computer coding, printing, computer-aided design and culinary arts.
How could paying inmates $25 an hour for remote work affect correctional staff and facility operations?
Corrections1 readers respond
- I love this idea, BUT if the other positions available to prisoners are still at pennies on the dollar for their labor, it will create divisiveness in the prison. All prisoners should be paid an acceptable working wage...especially when outside companies are coming in to the DOC and capitalizing on cheap labor. Raising wages allows prisoners to pay debts, send money out to their families, purchased needed items from commissary and more. They can also save money to use when released.
- I love this! So many families suffer trying to keep loved ones alive through outrageous commissary priced while they are in prison. Allowing inmate to earn decent money and use skills they have develops what incarceration should be about. Retrain while punishing.
- Paying inmates $25hr wil affect staff by making them resentful, building “ why do these pieces of s#*t get to earn that kind of money. The staff will do their best to ruin the program and stop it from progressing; they will use the excuse they don’t have the COs to babysit them in the designated work area. Facility operations would be affected by the inmates’ spirits being lifted and possibly less recidivism if program grows.
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