End Human Trafficking

Consumers must demand goods and services have transparency listing all ingredients and labor, from nutritional values in fast food, to humane treatment for dairy cows, to no animal tested products, fair trade and working conditions.

Believe me the auto industry needs consumers more than we need more cars.  Demand  the product meets our goals.

Way to go Mark.  Since I am predominately a Criminal Justice Reform advocate I would probably have never seen this post and even if I had would have never made the connection to UNICOR/FPI.  You are, as usual, right on the mark.  Slavery is slavery where ever you find it and it is also wrong where ever you find it. 

No wonder reform is so difficult and so many politicians only pay lip service, if that, to reform efforts.  Too much money changing hands and I must ask, who signs the contracts allowing UNICOR/FPI to continue these practices?  As they say, "Follow The Money."  It may be surprising where the money trail leads.

Well Thomas, apparently alot of people complained about my post as spam, and the comments were removed. 

So, lets clear the air, I do not ADVOCATE or PROMOTE UNICOR/FPI.  The Federal Governments use of prisoners to manufacture products for the military, and for the big business interests of this country is "slave-labor."  If someone goes to the Unicor site and reads up on the history of this country's expanding "slave-labor" use, it will not be hard to make the leap and understand why we have prohibition laws in this country.  It's a profit oriented set of laws designed for abuse and use of taxpayer's money for the profit of the shareholders of UNICOR.

I APOLOGIZE TO THE COMMUNITY HERE FOR THE MISUNDERSTANDING.  But, I stand by my statement:

"Our corporate giants are not the only "slave-labor" employers.  Imagine, for a moment, you were a producer of Military vehicles, for which demand is high right now, and you had to bring the product , like a helicopter in under budget. Where do you go for the highly sensitive cable's required to run these military machines? Helicopters, submarines...etc. Why, you get UNICOR to manufacture them for you of course.

So, before we complain about Toyota, maybe its time we ask our government about their "slave-labor" practices controlled by our lock-em up policies in the war on drugs."

There are flaws in the unicor/fpi program and management The "mandatory source clause" has drawn controversy over the years, with allegations that UNICOR is unfairly competing with private businesses.[3] of .  So govt purchases must come from fpi source.  Now this does not apply to items under 2,500 (approx amount).  Big ticket items must still be bought by the govt from this source.

This is a program to improve upon for many reasons.  If the work performed in prisons is not adherant to industry standards on the outside then improve the oversight (train the trainer for management skills) that way the inmates will gain supervisory experience, project management skills.  then add in a pay for performance incentive to increase the money they receive when released.

It is most important that this particular population have options to earn "some" money.  They have court debts, they have child support... yes, the wages are miniscuel:

US$0.23 per hour up to a maximum of US$1.15 per hour, and all inmates with court-ordered financial obligations must use at least 50% of this UNICOR income to satisfy those debts.[3]

I propose that everyone who is disillusioned with the current state of affairs continue to talk with a focus on solutions.  Let's abandon the "issue" focus to open up creative possibilities. 

Jennifer. OMG, you actually understand the organization.  I was pretty surprised to read your commentary, because, my dear, it was my firm belief that few Americans understand this system or even know what mandatory source purchases are.  Not to venture to far afield, the purpose and history of Prison made products was to provide a "gainful" employment opportunity and "training" to prisoners. 

Unfortunately, this aim has lost its mark, and now the focus is upon securing contracts to keep the machine alive.  That lofty goal needs to be re-established and more funding placed into it so the "prisoners" are not treated like, and used as, a slave labor force, and are trained in "green job" ideals that will prove fruitful and provide a gainful employment opportunity upon release.  Providing them with a source of income that serves absolutely no purpose but to provide money to spend on the prison commissary, not take care of families or pay restitution payments, teaches not responsibility, but dependancy.

For the puposes of this discussion, this activity, engaged in by our own government, is nothing less than slavery.  Hounding Toyota, Hummer, General Motors or Ford for its purchase of products from Unicor achieves nothing but to open the light to the inequities of using a slave force to bring products in under the mark of the projected costs, and your right, does nothing to change the system.  Making Unicor compete with the rest of the market, including the "fair wage" requirements other companies must adhere to, could possibly bring about real change and end the cycle of treating the imprisoned as a goverment subsidized slave labor force. 

yeah, i need to learn more... i love nothing more than to see more and more people succeed and overcome obstacles.   If people feel a sense of accomplishment as in working up the ladder, behavior takes on a self propelling vs. self destructive.

irreprehensible that their skills are obsolete by the time they are released.

with higher earnings to support their families, the "government" wins on many fields.  higher wages could still be less than the public wages (as there is such a giant spread here) to allow FPI to attract contracts - that has to be a main objective, otherwise the program gets killed in the shute.  wages used to support children should be collected at 75% of earnings - this lessens dependency on the welfare system - saving governmental funds.  

with higher wages the money the inmates receive at time of release could be put toward residential transitional housing where they can live while finding work and learning to apply themselves to a challenging social integration.

sadly, unicor will not be made to compete the low wages will just be sought off shore.  however, demanding state of the art green production from US companies while instituting state of the art training facility within the prisons will be a match and the wages can increase incrementally - you know, so GM doesn't get hit with sticker shock!