More than 150 of Allegheny County’s 1,500 prisoners work at institutional jobs.
They wash dishes, cook, sort laundry, serve food, clean housing units, work in warehouses and perform various other jobs that, one way or the other, must be done.
Inmate laborers generally work eight hours a day, seven days a week. They are, in effect, county employees — with one difference: They don’t get paid.
Paying inmate workers would enable them to support their kids and build a modest savings account to help them get on their feet after they leave, such as a nest egg for an apartment security deposit. The extra money could also help prisoners pay for phone calls or extra food or toiletries at the jail commissary. Now, the families of prisoners, most of whom are poor, often pick up those costs.
For prisoners with dependents, helping to support their families would give them an opportunity to take responsibility and start reintegrating into the community, two principles of restorative justice. Family support is an important ingredient for a successful re-entry after incarceration.
Allegheny County isn’t alone. County jails nationwide generally do not pay inmate workers. By contrast, most state prisons in the United States pay prisoner workers — on average, 13 cents to 52 cents an hour. Pennsylvania state prisons pay 23 cents to 50 cents per hour for most prisoner work assignments.
Instead of money, Allegheny County and other jails provide incentives for work, such as additional food,...
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