I am Michael Sullivan, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and for the last three years have served as the first Chair of the American Correctional Association's Committee on Prison Industries. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you on the subject of prison industries and specifically on H. R. 4100 as it may impact on prison industries in Wisconsin and other states. Prison industries in Wisconsin and all other states are an extremely important program for agencies for many reasons. It is important to the inmates and it is important for the prison system.
Most inmates come to prison with little or no real work experience or job skills.
Prison industries provides the inmates the opportunity to learn basic work skills such as working eight hours a day, responding positively to a supervisor and working with other inmates in a productive manner. Additionally, they learn marketable job skills. Prison industries is also important to the secure operations of prisons. From our experience, inmates working for prison industries do not wish to jeopardize their jobs. They follow the rules, they don't cause problems and institutions are more secure.