Should Convicts be allowed Minimum wages while serving time in prison?

From my understanding, criminals serving lengthy prison sentences are being paid anywhere from $0.75 - $1.00 per day; perhaps a tad more depending on 'extenuating circumstances/special situations'. This adds up to a grand total of (maximum) $30.00/mo.

Should criminals be allowed a minimum wage?

Let's assume that the minimum wages were held in a 'trust' until the prisoners release, and only alloted small daily sums to account for - smokes, candy, etc.

Pro's:

* Victims Funds - Crooks can contribute their earnings. This is a small drop in the bucket for judicial cases that may have amounted in the millions, however it may somewhat eleviate taxpayers hard-earned monies in the long-run.

* Future Room & Boarder - Lesser offensed and properly rehabilitated jailbirds can look forward to having money in their pocket to have a roof over their head; assuming that society hasn't prior knowledge of their past and will allow the con to take up an apartment.

*Child Support - Deadbeats can directly pay into child support; lightens the financial load on the rest of society.

I've put forward a few Pro's, does anyone want to add to the list? Disagree?

Let's hear from the Con list...parden the pun.

I am Prison Guard in Colorado. Inmates here are limited to .60 a day except some isolated industries programs pay a lot more. Restitution and Child Support is taken out automatically 20% every month. All Inmates are allowed to buy small amounts of food and hygiene items. Inmates with good behavior can buy large amounts of food, appliances (TV, coffemaker, radio) and here is the shocker inmates with over a year good behavior can buy a Playstation2 game system. Personally i is no reason to pay minimum wage, as there are not that many ways to spend it. It would be nice to have some kind of staggered pay scale. Inmates are better workers if they know they can get a pay raise. Also a they are good at getting money from the outside world. think of this. If they have correspondence with 5 girlfriends or boyfriends and each sends $50 a month, that adds up fast.

Pros: better work
pay victims and children more

cons: they spend all of it on videogames and pornography
Money contributes to crime in prison (a lot of extorsion)

if its part of a joined up thinking basis for rehabilitation then yes. Lack of money in prisons will mean perhaps other (more distasteful) forms of trade would take it's place.

It is a great idea.

Inmate Containment is "BIG BUSINESS". "Legit" business people are making enormous amounts of money from crime and the keeping of criminals.

If inmates are allowed to make minimum wage, the next step will be to allow them regular work. Somebody will definitely want these guys to stay busy for their money.

There aren't many things that are more therapeutic and life changing, than having the ability to work on a regular basis, feel like you are doing something positive, and maybe even learning a new skill.

There should also be a requirement for these inmates to send a percentage of this money to any family that they have left out in the real world. Then, these guys will actually be able to help the people they left struggling.

The list of "positives" goes on and on...

While I see nothing wrong with paying at least a better wage, if not the whole minimum wage, there are problems.

If the guy gets out and has a couple thousand saved up, the first thing he will do is PARTY. Not all, but a big portion. And not only will that usually be a violation of his parole, but he's likely to do something foolish and be back inside in a couple of weeks.

Now sending the money to an account, where his parole officer has to sign off on it for housing, a food debit card, clothing, etc... makes sense.

Don't let him just send it to his girlfriend though, because if he gets out and she has already spent it, there's a fight, and if she hasn't, then he goes partying anyway.

It's a tough call, but a person ought to be paid for their work, even in prison.

It is in my opinion that yes, Inmates who are working should get minimum wage.

Now I think that 25% of this should go into a personal account for them to use in prison,
25% should go to the government to help offset the money for housing and legal costs and
the other 50% should go into an account for when they get out they will have money,
however such money should be controlled until they have gotten a home and a stable job.

Yup.

As I said, mandatory payments to family. And, yes, monitored money management is a good idea.

Originally posted by kickoutthejams
if its part of a joined up thinking basis for rehabilitation then yes. Lack of money in prisons will mean perhaps other (more distasteful) forms of trade would take it's place.

I like this line of thinking.

It certainly would be a better incentive to 'up the pay scale'; (possibly?) deterring the con from the deviant underground rings he/she could be involved in.

And with that in mind, the moral factor would jump up a few notches. Mabey? What about better productivity?

Picture the inside of the prison system as a 'microcosm' of our outside world. What factors would enhance prisoners' performance?

Mind you, we have to take in to account that there are so-called 'hardened hardcore players' behind bars, that may never change their behavior patterns for the betterment of all.

I'm focussing on the 'lesser of the evils', those who have provided possitive proof towards future re-involvement within society. We all know that one day, some of these cons will emerge from under their dark rocks that they crawled under, (hopefully) have turned over a new leaf on what is acceptable and legal in their priorities of their life.

I'm not avocating awards/prizes for bad behavior. Don't get me wrong! A favorite saying in jail: "Everyone's innocent in here...didn't you know?" Face the facts. These people are in prison for a good reason or two! I totally understand this.

Club fed...club med? hmm.. A lot of tax payers dollars keep the perverbial 'roof over their heads', 'food on the table', and 'cable tv'. Ect. ect, ect. Not much of a push to get people off their butts and 'earn' these things. The state provides for all.

How about we take away some privelages like cable? Make the cons pay for their cable?

Originally posted by NGC2736
While I see nothing wrong with paying at least a better wage, if not the whole minimum wage, there are problems.

If the guy gets out and has a couple thousand saved up, the first thing he will do is PARTY. Not all, but a big portion. And not only will that usually be a violation of his parole, but he's likely to do something foolish and be back inside in a couple of weeks.

Now sending the money to an account, where his parole officer has to sign off on it for housing, a food debit card, clothing, etc... makes sense.

Don't let him just send it to his girlfriend though, because if he gets out and she has already spent it, there's a fight, and if she hasn't, then he goes partying anyway.

It's a tough call, but a person ought to be paid for their work, even in prison.

This is where 'probation laws' can come into affect. Spending habits can be monitored perhaps? Receipts should be provided for the 1st year after release. Violation of monetary spending conditions (could) result in extended jail time? What do you think?

Maybe I have missed something but convicts are serving time in prison because they have been found guilty of breaking the laws the majority of us want to live by.

Why pay them at all?

They should work and any monies should be used to pay compensation to their victims. If any thing is left over, it should be used to fund prisons.

Lets get convicts sorting rubbish for re-cycling for example.

I dont think any of you understand. Who do you think will be paying them minimum wage? Do you think that money is going to come out of the wardens pocket? NO! That money is going to come from taxpayer dollars. That means that YOU want to give a RAISE to people who are CRIMINALS! Thats the most absurd thing i have ever heard, and i've heard a lot of absurd things.

I don't think they should get the 0.60 per day that they do get. Say they have a 10 year prison sentence, thats 365x10x$0.60. Thats $2,200 of our tax dollars being wasted on smokes, food, and playstation games! And thats PER INMATE! And as we all know America has the most Inmates of any nation in the world.

You've got to be kidding me!

Sure, show them their minimum wage checks then take out for room, board, clothing, cable TV, weights in the yard, the basketball hoop, and the monetary value of the damage they have caused society by doing whatever it is theyve done to get there.

I think we'll find an awful lot of them owing us money.

Oh, dont forget taxes.

[edit on 28-6-2007 by thisguyrighthere]

Originally posted by Where2Hide2006
I dont think any of you understand. Who do you think will be paying them minimum wage? Do you think that money is going to come out of the wardens pocket? NO! That money is going to come from taxpayer dollars. That means that YOU want to give a RAISE to people who are CRIMINALS! Thats the most absurd thing i have ever heard, and i've heard a lot of absurd things.

I don't think they should get the 0.60 per day that they do get. Say they have a 10 year prison sentence, thats 365x10x$0.60. Thats $2,200 of our tax dollars being wasted on smokes, food, and playstation games! And thats PER INMATE! And as we all know America has the most Inmates of any nation in the world.

You've got to be kidding me!

Believe me...I understand. The 'free ride' has to stop somewhere.

I said previously:

I'm not avocating awards/prizes for bad behavior. Don't get me wrong! A favorite saying in jail: "Everyone's innocent in here...didn't you know?" Face the facts. These people are in prison for a good reason or two! I totally understand this.

Club fed...club med? hmm.. A lot of tax payers dollars keep the perverbial 'roof over their heads', 'food on the table', and 'cable tv'. Ect. ect, ect. Not much of a push to get people off their butts and 'earn' these things. The state provides for all.

How about we take away some privelages like cable? Make the cons pay for their cable?

What about 'outside' penal working conditions. Strictly monitored. OR Bring more work to the convicts; thus having that company pay for wages, rather than relying upon the system to foot the bill?

So not only do they get a roof over their heads and three square meals a day, now you want to pay them the minimum wage for their work.
Are you forgetting they broke the law and were sent to prison as punishment .
Next thing is you'll be paying people to rob us.

Originally posted by executioner
Next thing is you'll be paying people to rob us.

I guess you haven't heard of Congress.

No, paying minimum wage to prisoners is not a good idea. Unless you can have them doing something that generates significantly more than minimum wage, it would be just another taxpayer funded dole. Personally, I'm feeling gouged enough.

This issue drastically different on a state to state level. Some states pay nothing and some states will allow inmates to work in auto body repair and make more than I do. It would be easier to give all their earnings to their family or victims, but in the end it does all come down to money. My perspective is that western states lock up way to many people for really weak offenses. The Department of Corrections in most states is now learning that they can capitalize just like the private corporations do, thus accelerating the economic problems tied to prisons in general.

I'm all for paying the convicts minimun wage but then you need to charge them for room and board.

The taxpayers shouldn't have to foot the bill for these misfits incarceration. Instead, pay them minimum wage and charge for their room and board.

Good idea.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
Sure, show them their minimum wage checks then take out for room, board, clothing, cable TV, weights in the yard, the basketball hoop, and the monetary value of the damage they have caused society by doing whatever it is theyve done to get there.

I think we'll find an awful lot of them owing us money.

Oh, dont forget taxes.

And there you have it, folks.

But aside from that, no, I am not going to pay a criminal to work while he's in jail. This $30 a month thing might even be too far. You don't pluck money off of trees, you pluck it out of the pockets of taxpayers.

I think whatever they make should go toward their bill that the taxpayers foot for their stay in lockup. Buying Playstations and radios while my tax dollars pay for their food,room and board is crap.

I also think the money they get sent to them in prison should be taxed to pay for the amenities they get from the state.
The thought of Chester the child molester sitting in prison with 3 hots and a cot and money to buy drugs and a Playstation is unreal to me.

im about to go to prison so it would be appreciated rather than having nothing when i get out on top of that being a convict making it hard to find a job....so what are my options when i get out....go right back to crime or die of starvation because i dont accept handouts from the government....the point of prison isnt just for punishment it should be to reform them into a functioning member of society rather than just stick them around more criminals for years and letting them out with no money