The vocational training program is a life changer for inmates who are eager to "work and contribute to the wellbeing of their families and their communities"
“This is not a retaliatory measure but logistically necessary to ensure that other critical services are being provided,” the department said in a statement
Prisoners including those who provide food, laundry and janitorial services refused to show up for work at major state prisons, leaving staff scrambling to keep the facilities running
In court papers filed in the case, attorneys for the state said the relationship between inmates and their employers was not the same as free employees