Dr. Davis further discussed the potential of the PIE program. Dr. Davis was asked why the PIE program has not succeeded. She believes one explanation may be that the private sector has realized there are a lot of inefficiencies in working inmate labor such as monitoring tool control, security concerns about weather, difficulty getting materials in and out the prison, and location. Dr. Davis stated that Representative Victor Crist submitted a bill two years ago requesting that inmates have ten years or less left on their sentence in order to apply. Dr. Davis also stated she has been talking to the Correctional Privatization Commission about building industrial buildings.
Buildings are the key to expansion.
Shift work also leads to the success of the PIE program. She stated that South Carolina's PIE program is a model for Florida we should follow their concepts. Commissioner Revell stated that the shift issue seems to be the biggest issue. Vice-Chair Nichols ask about the wage difference for inmates who build products that are shipped out of the country versus those same products that stay in the country. Inmates in PIE programs make the going rate, that's just the way it is.