Texas monopolizes prisoner skills

Regarding the information you sought concerning the money Texas Dept. of Corrections makes off of prisoner slave labor: In the furniture factory we are constantly being forced to fill orders paid for by TDC employees. The factory will refinish, upholster and even rebuild items brought in by greyshirts and administrative employees. These items range from bed frames to complete bedroom and dining room sets. Do we, the workers, receive any benefits for our labor and efforts? Absolutely not!

What really sucks is that those inmates able to work on some sort of craft, e.g., leather, woodcrafts, art crafts, etc., are allowed to make work contracts with TDC employees, but are prohibited from establishing work contracts with outside businesses who could market the prisoners' crafts. Instead, the prisoner is forced to either sell his wares to TDC employees, or mail them home, hoping their family can find buyers. Is this fair? I think not.

I know of a fellow, a Catholic, who wrote a book and had it published. TDC punished him for this. Is this justified? Hell no.

In my situation, I am a tattoo artist, yet I'm not allowed to work my craft to keep myself in much needed personal hygiene stuff. TDC won't supply me with these items either. Instead, if I'm caught tattooing, or with paraphernalia, I am punished, locked up, loose good time (not that good time really matters).

--A Texas Prisoner, April 2004

MIM responds: This prisoner wrote in response to our request for information exposing the exploitation of prisoner labor in Texas. This information shows that it is not only unskilled manual labor, but also skilled craft labor, that Texas prison officials exploit for their own gain. We encourage others, in Texas or elsewhere, to help us expose these practices to other prisoners and to the outside world.