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| Inside Edge Claimed in S.C. Prison Industries Contracts |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 07/14/2003 |
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Retailers want more restrictions on the S.C. Department of Corrections' Prison Industries bidding process to ensure fair competition. Currently, the department is exempt from the competitive bid process that private businesses must use to sell products and services to state government. But Don Eykyn, divisional manager for office furniture outlet Miller's of Columbia, says that's unfair. He recently filed a complaint with the state Budget and Control Board over a $300,000 contract to furnish the Governor's School for Science and Math, under construction in Hartsville. Eykyn said he pursued the contract for a year and was surprised and angry when the job was awarded to Prison Industries in June without the normal state bid processes. 'Prison Industries was set up to give inmates something to do and offset the costs of running the system,' Eykyn said. 'But the way it's set up now, they can approach outside vendors and tell them, 'You partner with us, you can avoid the state bidding process.' ' Prisoners assemble office furniture, craft chairs and desks, upholster used furniture, retread tires, package and sell a line of cleaning supplies and operate a moving business. They also run a nighttime office cleaning service, manage a print shop, operate a dry cleaner's and a sewing shop, raise cattle, hogs and chickens, and grow thousands of acres of row crops. They also refurbish computers and take apart transmissions for a private company. Last year, Prison Industries generated $22 million from a variety of businesses staffed predominantly by unpaid inmates, said the agency director, Jon Ozmint. He defended the Prison Industries exemptions, saying inmates provide skilled labor for furniture assembly and installation. He said 30 percent of the Governor's School contract was for desks and items the Corrections Department normally makes and sells. Besides, the school was in a time crunch, and a lengthy bid process wasn't practical. Eykyn wants the Corrections Department required to bid on projects over $25,000 and also wants exemptions limited to products made by prisoners. Rep. Bill Cotty, R-Columbia, said he wants the governor to modify the system or he will introduce legislation to restrict the Prison Industries exemption. |
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