Large companies should be allowed to hire prisoners for labor work.

My opponent, to be kind, is over-exaggerating the extent of private, industrial employment within the prison system. According to available sources, such employment accounts for approximately 6,000 prisoners nationwide, representing less than 1% of the total prison population (https://econ.duke.edu...). The overwhelming portion of the "Prison Industrial Complex" belongs to large corporations and government agencies that build, supply, feed, or house the nation's 2.3 million prison population. Going after a minuscule portion of that market seems to be, in my opinion, small potatoes. Part of this may be due to Debatergorl's lack of understanding of the US Prison system. The vast majority of prisoners are required to work for little or no pay within their prison-- laundry, cooks, maintenance, etc. State run prisons make use of prison labor to recoup the cost of incarceration, to pay retribution to the victims of the prisoner, or to pay child support for the prisoner's children. Supreme Court rulings have found this to be constitutional as prisoners are not afforded protection under the Federal Labor Standards Act (the law that created the Federal Minimum Wage). However, this does not mean that prisoners aren't afforded other civil rights protections. It is still a violation of the law to force a prisoner to work in unsafe working conditions. The wage figures Debatergorl uses ("as low as 23 cents per hour") refer to those wages paid by government agencies, or outsourced private prison facilities. "UNICOR, " also known as Federal Prison Industries, is an organization that runs prison work programs for the Federal Prison System and is often cited by prisoner-rights advocates as a major violator of prisoners rights, as it also pays below minimum wage. But it too is a GOVERNMENT entity--- not the private corporation to which Debatergorl holds angst. (http://www.unicor.gov...) The large private companies that have recently made use of prison labor do so under the heavy regulation of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, an office of the US Dept. of Justice. Under the Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program, private corporations may use prison labor but must pay "prevailing wages" or the Federal Minimum Wage, which ever is higher, to their prison employees. (https://www.ncjrs.gov...) Also known as "PIE," the Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program was developed in 1979 as a means to give prisoners marketable skills that will help them find employment after their incarceration. Previously, Federal laws prohibited the sale of prisoner-made goods in excess of $10,000 across state lines. Such restrictions made it impossible for large companies to invest in job training programs for prisoners. The PIE program sought to mitigate those restrictions while maintaining government control and regulation. Relatively few corporations participate in it, due to public outcry.... usually instigated by Labor Unions who see prison labor as a threat to their jobs. It is unfortunate that people erroneously criticize corporate participants, because the program actually works! Reputable and unbiased research has shown that prisoners that go through the program find employment easier, with higher wages, and lower recidivism rates (the percentage of convicts who return to prison). source: https://econ.duke.edu... Likewise, your argument about how these programs are "hurting the economy" holds no water. The use of prison labor for private industry represents such a minuscule portion of the job market and has very little effect on overall employment. In fact, the program places restrictions that require companies to demonstrate that prisoners are not taking jobs away from law-abiding citizens (http://www.forbes.com...) Given these facts, I would argue that it improves the economy by helping otherwise unemployed convicts find jobs, while reducing the overall tax burden for incarceration. Prisoners don't need "time to reflect." They need skills that will enable them to find gainful employment and to break the cycle of criminal activity. Perhaps solitary confinement would give prisoners "isolation," but such in not the situation in the vast majority of cases. Prisoners reflect with other prisoners--- discussing their crimes, forming prison alliances, and learning new illegal ways of providing for themselves after jail. The PIE programs offer them an alternative. It seems to me that the critics of the program are more concerned about someone making money off of prison labor, and less concerned about the welfare of the prisoner