![]() ![]() ![]() The state prison system is CALPIA’s biggest customer, accounting for about two-thirds of sales. flags, license plates and packaged snickerdoodles to furniture found in the offices of nearly every state agency.įabric is CALPIA’s biggest moneymaker in manufacturing, bringing in $23.7 million in revenues in 2019, with furniture not far behind at $16.9 million, according to a recent audit. Through CALPIA, prison labor makes everything from U.S. The California Prison Industry Authority, a state agency known as CALPIA, oversees roughly 7,000 incarcerated workers statewide. David Burke, an inmate at Avenal State Prison “Why is money more important than human lives? Inmates are just a business.” ![]() ![]() “This should appall everyone who wants to live in a civilized society.” “It is a bureaucratic decision to keep people working for pennies an hour during a pandemic,” said Kate Chatfield, director of policy at the Justice Collaborative, a national organization that advocates for criminal justice reform. But legal scholars and civil rights advocates have long criticized prison labor as exploitative and part of the historical legacy of slavery - a deep injustice, they say, only magnified by COVID-19. Supporters of prison labor say the practice helps defray costs of incarceration, provides job skills and reduces recidivism rates. The statement said the agency has taken “extraordinary measures to address COVID-19” in prisons, such as providing staff and inmates with protective equipment.īut interviews with incarcerated workers paint a disturbing picture of prison labor during the pandemic: meager wages, questionable infection control and the threat of more time in prison looming over their heads. Kane said the agency reduced inmate staffing at factories, imposed social distancing and decided when to close or reopen operations in consultation with the corrections department and the court-appointed federal receiver overseeing healthcare inside California’s prisons.ĭana Simas, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said in a statement that the agency follows isolation and quarantine protocols approved by the federal receiver. The agency acknowledged that goods like furniture were made “when deemed safe” but declined to say what other factories remained open. Michele Kane, a spokeswoman for the California Prison Industry Authority, which oversees the factories, said in a statement that “essential critical enterprises,” such as food, laundry and the manufacture of masks and hand sanitizer, have continued operating during the pandemic. The Times sent detailed questions and requested interviews with the heads of state agencies responsible for prison conditions, but officials responded through representatives. “The more you give them, the more they want.” It was “like a slave factory,” Hall said. Seven days a week, the women cranked out masks until their bodies ached, and all they could do at night was collapse asleep in their cells. Some said they were threatened with discipline that could jeopardize their chances for release from prison if they refused to work because of COVID-19 fears.Īt the Chino prison, workers said, supervisors kept raising the daily quotas, from 2,000 to 3,000 to 3,500 masks. Factory staff, they said, warned that workers would lose their jobs - their only source of income - if they missed a day. ![]()
0 Comments
![]() Mike Laird, 58, who works in retail in Garland County, said he voted for Romney on Monday. "The vast majority of us have seen what it (marijuana) causes and what it does to people," he said. Taylor, who works in sales, said he voted against medical marijuana. He the type of person who gets the facts before he makes a decision," he said. "I like the way he's very assertive, sure of himself. In Hot Springs on Monday, Robert Taylor, 34, said he voted for the president, citing his thoughtfulness. It's just going to take him more time," he said. Robinson said he voted "mostly Republican, except for Obama." "I just think he needs more time to get everything straightened out," he said. Michael Robinson, 47, who is retired from the military and now works as a civilian at the Little Rock Air Force Base, said he voted for President Barack Obama. The way it is now, it's hurting the people in the middle class that are trying to earn a living." Teague said she voted for Republicans in all races. ![]() "I just don't like the way things have been going. "As a police officer, I can't see that going very well," he said.Įrin Teague, 32, who works for a law firm that specializes in debt collection, voted for Romney. ![]() "The last four years haven't gone very well," he said.Ĭhamness said he voted straight Republican, including for U.S. Steve Chamness, 36, a police officer who lives in Cabot, said he voted for Romney. "Our roads need improvement in this state," he said. "He's from an area of the state that I'm from, northeast Arkansas, and he's a prosecutor," he said.īeall, a Republican, said he voted for the highway tax, saying it would improve safety. "Just the way this country has gone the last four years," said Beall, 60, who works in law enforcement.īeall said he voted for Scott Ellington, the Democrats' nominee for Congress. Can we at least have that?Īt Cabot's community center, Charles Beall said Tuesday he voted for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Year 2000 America seems like a veritable Buddha of perfect composure compared to the already-terminally-pissed, stress-crazed populace that has been dragged to the final lap of this terrible contest. ![]() All of this has gone too far, and man, we'd better pray this doesn't end in a 2000-style mess tonight. I think all of us in this business owe America a hug, or something. ![]() As a member of the media, I feel sick about it. They've been whipped into a state of panic – people everywhere are freaking out and muttering to themselves and firing off vitriolic emails. People today on both sides are genuinely terrified of a wrong outcome in this election. We don't believe the other side would have our backs even in an emergency. We should be confident that whoever wins has our collective best interests at heart, even if we don't agree with his or her ideology, the same way we reflexively assume that the pilot of any plane we board doesn't want to fly us into a mountain.īut we don't make that assumption about our politicians anymore. Right? He'll try his best as Commander-in-chief, just like Obama has, and just like Bush did, and Clinton did, and Reagan did and so on. If some foreign agent attacks us, I seriously doubt a president Mitt Romney would wave the white flag and invite the enemy in. When push comes to shove, we all should know most Americans want the same things, but just disagree on how to get there, which is why it should be okay to not panic if the other party wins. ![]() |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |