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| Lawmaker questions prison labor at liquor distributor |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 06/28/2004 |
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Female prison inmates who work at an Iowa liquor distribution center in Ankeny are being treated like slave labor, according to a state legislator and an advocate for prisoners. Twelve of the 20 inmates assigned to the center have already been replaced by other convicts, three weeks after the state took over operations from a private contractor in an effort to save about $1.5 million in taxpayer dollars. Members of some of the inmates' families have complained that the prisoners have been made to work up to 15 hours a day, and that meals often consist of peanut butter sandwiches. "Any taxpayer ought to be disgusted with this," said Rep. Ed Fallon, D-Des Moines. Fallon said he's also concerned that some of the inmates have histories of substance abuse and shouldn't be exposed to liquor. The workers are paid about 37 cents an hour. They replaced a crew of private workers from J.A. Jones Global Services, which has declared bankruptcy. Lynn Walding, administrator of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, said there were some start-up problems with the inmate work crews. But he said the problems have been addressed. The initiative is part of a "charter agency" approach to reinvent state government that has been promoted by Gov. Tom Vilsack. The inmates are from the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women at Mitchellville. They fill retail liquor orders that are shipped out to 480 retailers statewide for whom the center is the sole supplier of wholesale liquor. Most Iowa prison inmates are assigned a job, ranging from positions with private companies or prison industries to working in a prison kitchen or performing janitorial chores at the Statehouse complex. The amount of pay and the hours vary. Some inmates earn regular outside wages from private firms, while jobs inside prisons are typically for minuscule wages. Walding said the 12 inmate workers who have left the liquor distribution center have been replaced by other Mitchellville prisoners, all of whom volunteered. He acknowledged that some inmates worked up to 15 hours a day, but he said they have now learned the jobs and are mostly working the normal routine of 10 hours a day, four days a week. Walding said peanut butter sandwiches were offered along with meat sandwiches. He said attempts are being made to get the women back to Mitchelville in time for the evening meal. Fred Scaletta, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Corrections, said prison officials are satisfied that initial problems have been fixed at the warehouse. He said there is now a waiting list of inmates who have volunteered to work there. |
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