Urrutia is a leather cutter for Carteras Orquidea, a handbag maker that is one of 46 companies that have joined the program. The National Corrections Service is trying to lure more businesses to the program, which has grown from 65 inmate-workers to 950 in less than a year. Chile has a prison population of 25,000. Prison officials say it reduces violence at prisons. The government sees it as effective in reducing crime by training inmates for jobs in the outside world and helping support poor relatives who might otherwise turn to crime.
Businesses get no-cost facilities and tax breaks for training the prisoners.
Unions have not objected. Luis Arancibia, an official in the Unitary Central Workers Federation, said the number of inmate-workers is not that big, and noted no workers have been fired to be replaced by prisoners. The inmate-workers earn about the same pay as people in normal jobs. This is serious industrial work, Justice Minister Soledad Alvear said. She added that the program is probably the best investment you can make in terms of citizens security, because it increases the chances that the inmates will not go back to crime once they are freed.