Beyond cheap labor: can prison work programs benefit inmates?

When Whole Foods pledged to cut prison labor from its supply chain, it sparked debate about whether prison work is best for inmates' wellbeing or verges on enslavement

The old cliche is true: prisoners do make license plates. But that's not all they produce. Across the country, inmates have a hand in building desks, molding dentures, grinding lenses for glasses, stitching flags and upholstering chairs. They run prison laundry rooms and kitchens, transcribe textbooks into braille, and even farm tilapia.

That incarcerated offenders often participate in prison work programs is nothing new. Today, however, this employment has taken on unprecedented scope, with computer coding and skilled manufacturing joining more traditional labor. Those who run these programs say the training they offer is essential for preparing prisoners to succeed in the outside world after release. Opponents, however, say these programs verge on enslavement, with inmates paid meager wages and denied the benefits and protections a civilian job would provide.