Passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and then ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States and provides that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, EXCEPT as a punishment for CRIME whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."
They can make any of us slaves
In this article we will examine the Federal Prison Industries program. What you will discover in this article may seem difficult to believe but can be easily verified.
We've all seen the road crew of inmates picking up trash off of the highway and we all have the prisoner breaking big rocks into little rocks etched in our minds, in the most industrious assumptions many believe the top of the game is making license plates.
But this is not the only labor reserved for the inmate. Within the federal prison system you will find that nearly all daily operations of the facility are carried out by inmates. The inmates run food services, from cooking to serving to cleaning. They operate the laundry facilities, grounds maintenance and landscaping. The prison librarian is a prisoner, teachers and tutors in educational services.
From training seeing eye dogs and transcribing books into brail to manufacturing electronics and military combat vehicles, the jobs inmates perform are vast ,essential, and lucrative...and ripe for the skim.
Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (FPI), doing business as UNICOR since 1977, is a wholly owned United States government corporation created in 1934 as a prison labor program for inmates within the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and a component of the Department of Justice. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Under US federal law, all physically able inmates who are not a security risk or have a health exception are required to work, either for UNICOR or at some other prison job. As of 2021, inmates earned between $0.23 to $1.15 per hour.
As a "mandatory source" for federal departments, FPI receives priority in any purchases of the products that it offers. That is to say if ANY part of the federal government needs ANYTHING that is made by UNICOR, they MUST buy it from UNICOR.
All inmates with court-ordered financial obligations must use at least 50% of this UNICOR income to satisfy those debts. Deductions are then taken for taxes, victim restitution, program costs and court-imposed legal obligations. In fiscal year 2016, FPI’s business were organized, managed, and internally reported as six operation segments based upon products and services. These segments are Agribusiness, Clothing and Textiles, Electronics, Office Furniture, Recycling, and Services.
Lets take a moment to understand what Unicor provides, but please keep in mind that 100% of the work contracted by Unicor is performed by federal inmates.
Have you ever wondered where uniforms come from? We live in a society filled with uniforms. Every uniform of every type for every branch of the military has been made by inmates. Every uniform for every police officer, swat team, fire fighter, border patrol agent, homeland security officer and postal worker has been made by inmates. It doesn't stop at uniforms, every patch, badge, and embroidered emblem has been made by an inmate. The inmate manufactures every belt, boot, shoe, sock and glove purchased by the government. Every bullet proof vest purchased for the military has been sewn by inmates. Flight vest used to deliver bio feedback of fighter pilots have been made by inmates. The inmates clothing, shoes, uniforms, bedding and towels have also been made by the inmate. The gown you wear in the hospital and the surgical smock worn by your doctors, all made by inmates.
If you've ever had the misfortune of being in a probation office, court room, or a district attorneys office, or if you've ever been inside any government building you've probably noticed a lot of furniture. Every piece, from chair to bookcase, from filing cabinet to executive desk has been made by Unicor prisoners. Unicor also manufactures every piece of furniture found inside the prison facility, staff and inmate furniture alike.
Basic and indigent hygiene items are manufactured by Unicor including but not limited to Towels, Personal Hygiene Admin Kits, Individual Hygiene Products, Deodorants, Hair Brush, Hair Comb, Hand Lotion, Razors, Sanitary Pads, Sanitary Panty Liners, Sanitary Tampons, Shampoo, Shampoo-Shave-Shower, Shaving Creams and Gels, Soaps, Toilet Tissues, Toothbrushes, Toothpastes
UNICOR operates a dairy at the Lompoc, California prison, producing dairy-based beverages and related food items. Other customers include the Food Service division of the Bureau of Prisons at Lompoc and neighboring institutions. Similarly, they operate a dairy facility at the Federal Prison in El Reno, Oklahoma. In addition to dairy products, UNICOR extends its agriculture expertise to the production of the following items of produce, for sale to both the Bureau of Prisons and the private sector customers where the federal government is the end user. Main produce include Broccoli, Lima Beans, and Celery
It isn't just labor that the inmate performs for Unicor, they offer a wide variety of computer and electronic services such as Optical Character Recognition, Coding, and Indexing, Electronic Imaging, Digitizing Services, and Computer Aided Design Services including 3D Modeling, Visualization and Animation,CAD Conversion, Drafting and Documentation.
I can go all day on the weird and ubiquitous products made by Unicor. I can write for days about the bunkers they build or the military training facilities they build or the the automotive division that literally designs and customizes vehicles for the military. Its not about what they make, which is everything. It isn't really about who makes it, which are prisoners. Its about who sells it, which is the Government. Its about who buys it, which is the Government and its about who is paying the bill. Which is you.
Unicor and the Federal government have hatched many schemes in the past to defraud tax payers but the most recent swindling can be used to summarize the whole take.
AS STATED BY LAW, if Unicor makes it and the Government needs, the government Must buy it from Unicor.
So consider these post Covid times and the mask mandates we've endured. Consider every government employ required to wear masks. EVERY GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE. Consider the fact that the federal government employs nearly 9.1 million workers, comprising nearly 6 percent of total employment in the United States.
9 million people the Government MUST buy masks for and they MUST buy them from Unicor. Because they make those too.
Unicor manufactures masks and sells them at .94 cents a piece with a minimum order of 500 masks. Thats $470 dollars. You can buy 500 masks from the flea market for 55 bucks. I can buy them from a VERY reputable medical equipment supplier for $145 dollars...FREE SHIPPING!!!
But the Government buys the masks at prices inflated hundreds of percents basically from itself. Using tax payer money. Are you starting to see the problem?
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.