Exmark posts a call-out list with the names of those workers fortunate enough to have a job the following day. But he said that Exmark's TRCC operation had packed tens of thousands of units of Microsoft Office and had wrapped and shipped 40,000 Microsoft mice in one week. When work is plentiful, Exmark's prison workers shift into high gear, often working both day and swing shifts. At other times the crew is scaled back and most workers remain idle in their cells. They also say that Exmark not only packages retail goods, but also stuffs envelopes for mass mailings, something they claim to have often done for telecommunication giant U.S. West.
Most people assume that corporate prison labor is a recent innovation.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Nineteenth century prisons were essentially forced labor camps. Prisoners were made to produce a wide array of goods including shoes, furniture, wagons, and stoves. For the sake of profit they were often housed in squalid conditions, fed spoiled food, and given scant clothing or shoes. Whippings were commonplace and medical care was non-existent.