It has been a long and stressful year for all involved in prison industry reform, privatized prison objectors and those reformers fighting what is seen as corporate policies aimed at taking the place of government.
Despite all the stress and frustration, there have been some extraordinary and even historic moments that took place in 2010. I identified those corporations involved in using inmate labor or funding those who practice it through ALEC. On the issues of prison labor, corporate influences through ALEC, new changes were made by the DOJ in response to our complaints.
Politics continue to be in upheaval and flux due to the obstinateness of conservative Republicans - but even there strides were made as 2010 drew to a close. Let's revisit some of the events that were important to our jobs and competition for those jobs by prison labor users.
Early in 2010 complaints were made to the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) regarding violations within the Prison Industries Enhancement Certification Program (PIE program). These complaints challenged the propriety of, the National Correctional Industries Association's (NCIA)oversight provided in the program. They were accused of using the PIE program to enrich themselves, their members and corporate partners.
Complaints also challenged the veracity of the NCIA's assessments allowing the payment of less than prevailing wages to the inmate workers by both the state prison industry operators and in other cases, by the private corporations partnered with them under the PIE program. We accused the DOJ and BJA of neglecting to prosecute those PIE program participants who were caught in non-compliance with any of the PIECP's nine mandatory mandates.
We complained all through 2010 that the payment of less than prevailing wages not only violated the law, abused the inmate work force, but also harmed taxpayers. The program allows for room and board deductions that was to be collected and turned over to the DOC's to reimbursed for incarceration costs paid for by tax dollars. Letters were sent to President Obama and AG, Holder on the issues. Many of you readers participated, copying and sending my letter or one of your own to the AG on the issues. As I said above we were finally heard and important changes made!
I identified the involvement of ALEC in the writing and proposed legislation that became law in Arizona - SB 1070 - and fought against confirmation of Stacia Hylton as the new Director of the U.S> Marshal's Service.
We fought to prevent the implementation of a Christian only staffed private prison and prison industry operation in Oklahoma. So far this concept has not been met with favorable support and several states have denied allowing such a thing as a "Christian" run prison. Many of us protested this attempt to privatize prisons in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, California as Christian only operations.
In Florida I wrote much in a hard fight against Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises (PRIDE) on issues of PIE program violations, diverting reimbursement to taxpayers back to their own pockts.
I introduced two of the recent Secretary's of the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) - one who fought the corruption within that agency as well as went up against PRIDE for their corruption, and one that appeared to have joined PRIDE by further enabling them - current Secretary Walter McNeil (former Chief of Police for Tallahassee, Florida).
With the help of all you readers, my blogging has resulted in many of the changes written about. Next month the BJA is to release it's investigative report into PRIDE's PIE program and business practice operations:
"Mr. Sloan,
BJA has performed an assessment of the PRIDE CACs that you mentioned. You may submit a Freedom of Information Act request for the assessment results as soon as this information becomes available. We hope to have this assessment finalized during the early part of January 2011.
Julius Dupree
Julius C. Dupree, Jr.
Policy Advisor
U.S. Department of Justice
Bureau of Justice Assistance
810 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20531
202/514-1928 (ph)
202/307-0036 (fax)
julius.dupree@usdoj.gov"
I want to thank all of you - especially the Rescue Rangers - who helped get the word out and foster public awareness of the problems surrounding job losses to prison labor. A special thanks to all who lent their advice through comments and suggestions.
Many of the changes that have been made and the accomplishments the complaints have caused, would not have been possible without our joint effort to address judicial reform, reductions in incarceration and enforcing the laws applying to the use of prisoner labor. So thanks to all of you are deserved and given.
Now it's our 18th wedding anniversary and we're headed out to dinner and drinks. We wish all DK readers, liberals and progressives a Happy New Year and our wishes for a better year that brings many more changes.
See you on Monday...