Jobs & Employment
Many jobs inside prison are performed by the incarcerated people themselves. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, the national average for their compensation is 14 cents per hour. People incarcerated in eight states — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas — are not paid at all. Jobs run the gamut from janitorial or food services to office work to agricultural jobs like field work and manufacturing jobs making signs, license plates or furniture. Once released from prison, many formerly incarcerated people find it difficult to find employment opportunities. These are stories that shed light on prison jobs and employment after prison.
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