If this bill passes, inmates would be paid a “living wage” while incarcerated.
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Nevada State Senator Dina Neal (D-North Las Vegas) recently introduced a bill that would require the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) to pay inmates a “living wage” for the work they perform while behind bars.
Should the bill become law, the NDOC would pay inmates the same hourly minimum wage currently paid to Nevada workers. The Nevada minimum wage is $9.50 an hour for employees who are offered health benefits by their employer. If the employer does not offer qualifying health benefits, the minimum wage is $10.50 an hour.
Lawmaker says inmates aren’t paid fairly for their work
Introduced on February 22, 2023, Nevada Senate Bill 187 makes changes to provisions related to the employment of inmates. Currently, inmates can work in a variety of positions, such as in the prison kitchen and as forestry firefighters. The NDOC also uses inmate labor to manufacture products through the Silver State Industries program.
For example, prisoners might work in the automotive, print, furniture, or upholstery shops doing jobs such as machine operator, forklift driver, welder, or shipping clerk. One of the bill’s exhibits shows the pay range for prisoners who perform these jobs. Depending on the job, prisoner pay can start as low as 35 cents or 50 cents an hour.
In a recent interview published by Nevada Current, State Senator Dina Neal says this range is unacceptably low and...
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