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| Prison inmates dismantle cellular phones |
| By chron.com |
| Published: 04/20/2009 |
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Some federal prison inmates spend their days tearing apart cellular phones and dismantling computers recycled in Arkansas. The prisoners, working as part of the Federal Prison Industries, salvage copper and other materials later sold to metal dealers. Last year alone, the prison industry had $10.5 million in net sales. Unicor, a part of the Federal Prison Industries, uses 876 inmates in seven federal prisons to do the electronic recycling work, according to a company financial statement. Most of northwest Arkansas' recycled electronics go to the federal prison in Texarkana, Texas. The work is part of a voluntary program and pays well above the standard wage for an inmate, said Steve Wentzel, an executive assistant at the Texarkana prison. Wentzel said the work is so popular, there's a waiting list to take on a spot. However, using prison labor has drawn the ire of private companies in the recycling business. Barbara Kyle of Electronics TakeBack Coalition in San Francisco said the practice undercuts companies that are more environmentally responsible. Within the last two years, states such as Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Washington have banned the practice of using prisoner labor to recycle in most cases, she said. "You may want to consider why Arkansas has such a good deal," Kyle told the Morning News newspaper of Springdale. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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