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| Mexico Exporting Prison-Made Products |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 12/16/2002 |
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Prison officials in northern Mexico say their inmates are manufacturing furniture bound for Texas - despite U.S. laws that ban the importation of goods made with prison labor. And they'd like to contract with more American companies to produce all kinds of goods. One official said prison shops would even label their products to hide their origin. Prison officials in Mexico's northern states are pointing to inmate workshops as a way to stem the loss of business as foreign-owned assembly plants abandon the border zone in search of cheaper labor in Asia. Convicts already do work for Mexican companies. But prison labor is strongly criticized around the globe on the grounds it undercuts unions, steals jobs from law-abiding workers and poses risks of human rights abuses. Many countries, like the United States, bar imports of products made by prisoners. The prison director for Tamaulipas state, Manuel del Riego, said Clint Hough of Austin, Texas, is the first foreign businessman to accept the state's offer of its inmates' services. Del Riego said Hough has been buying furniture made by prisoners for more than a year. Del Riego said 150 foreign companies, including many in the United States, had expressed interest in setting up production lines at the 11 prisons in Tamaulipas. On average, Mexican inmates earn the minimum wage of 45 pesos a day (US$4.50), half what free workers along the border make. Companies hiring prison labor also save on health insurance, retirement and other benefits. Inmates in neighboring Nuevo Leon state now work solely for Mexican companies making such things as T-shirts and charcoal. Baja California officials say they are in talks with the Tijuana trade association that represents foreign-owned assembly-for-export plants. The border states have plunged into recession with the exodus of maquilas, which had fueled an economic boom in the region since the government in the 1960s allowed mostly U.S.-owned companies to take advantage of Mexico's cheap labor. While Mexico permits prisons to produce for companies, U.S. law bars the importation of convict-made goods 'no matter what the circumstances,' said Paula Keicer of the U.S. Customs Service in Washington. Keicer said officials were not aware of prison-made furniture being imported across the Texas border. She said records of imports are confidential and could not discuss whether Hough was bringing furniture into Texas. |
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