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Industries Behind Bars: An Economic Perspective on the Production of Goods and Services by U.S. Prison Industries

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Abstract

This note focuses on two key issues about production in U.S. prisons for sale to customers outside their walls: the relative labor productivity and wages of these prison industries compared with other U.S. industries; and the types of goods and services that these prison industries produce. The results are drawn, in part, from my own survey of state prison industry directors.

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References

  • American Correctional Association (ACA) (2002) National Jail and Adult Detention Directory. Maryland, Lanham.

  • Deloitte and Touche (1991) Independent Market Study of UNICOR, Federal Prisons Industries, Inc., Report to Congress on Study Findings and Recommendations. Washington, DC.

  • National Correctional Industries Association (NCIA) (2003) 2003 Directory. Baltimore.

  • Petersik, T. W., T. K. Nayak, and M. K. Foreman (2003) Identifying Beneficiaries of PIE Inmate Incomes, Report of the Center for Economic Research, George Washington University and of the National Correctional Industries Association. Washington, D.C.

  • Reynolds, M. O. (1996). “Factories Behind Bars,” National Center for Policy Analysis Report 206 Dallas, Texas.

  • U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (1998) Bulletin: Profile of Jail Inmates 1996, Washington, D.C.

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  • InstitutionalAuthorNameU.S. Bureau of the Census (1976) Historical Statistics of the United States GPO Washington, DC

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Correspondence to Frederic L. Pryor.

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Pryor, F.L. Industries Behind Bars: An Economic Perspective on the Production of Goods and Services by U.S. Prison Industries. Rev Ind Organ 27, 1–16 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11151-005-4401-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11151-005-4401-3

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