Federal Prison Industries takes Business Away from Industrial Base

Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support pushes another $15M out of the industrial base and into prisoners hands.

Did you know that even though DoD contracts contain a clause that prohibits manufactures from employing prison labor (such as China) that Federal law requires the DoD to procure certain clothing and textile (C&T) items such as helmets, some layers of ECWCS and uniforms from Federal Prison industries (FPI).

Should Federal Prison Industries continue as a mandatory source for Army Combat Helmets (ACH), Extreme Cold Weather Clothing Systems (ECWCS) and Army Combat Uniforms (ACU)? Why should 6,505 federal convicts be fully employed in regional areas of 10% or more unemployment?

In almost all cases,congressional staffers are amazed to learn that much of our military gear is made by federal prisoners. In fact, according to the FPI Annual Report from 2009, prisoners achieved $262.7M in sales in the Clothing and Textiles category earning $36M in profits ($60M in 2008). The question on everyone’s mind is that given prisoners are only paid pennies per hour, who is reaping the benefits of these $36M in earnings?

The question from the tax payer’s mind is simple – wouldn’t it be better for the $262.7M in sales to be pushed into the free enterprise market and potentially re-employ the 6,505 tax paying, sewing and manufacturing people who may be unemployed today?

The other question is a matter of quality assurance in the personal protective products made by UNICOR. In the past, FPI products have not meet NIJ standards given the recall of 44,000 Army Combat Helmets in 2010. The most recent award for ECWCS requires a very complicated manufacturing process called “seam sealing” which requires precise pressure, heat and timing to ensure that all seams and zipper opening are water tight. 100% of the garments are tested for quality assurance. FPI is not the best manufacturing source for this type of complicated manufacturing and the Army is at risk of receiving poor performing garments.

The stated purpose of the FPI program, again from the FPI web site is “. . . not about business, but instead, about inmate release preparation…. helping offenders acquire the skills necessary to successfully make that transition from prison to law-abiding, contributing members of society.” I wonder how the clothing and textile $96M profit over the last two years really helped prisoners acquire job skills.

The Industrial Base and overall employment of textile, apparel, and furnishings workers is expected to lose 71,500 jobs. Specific rehabilitation by the FPI program in the C&T industry is for sewing machine operators which is expected to decline rapidly by 34 percent (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos233.htm#outlook). Question – why is the government taking potential jobs from workers who could be employed today, to train and rehabilitate prisoners in a declining job field with little hope for a job when released from prison?

The point now is to control FPI’s appetite for growth in clothing and textiles and push that production back into the private industrial base to increase job growth.

It is a wrong step for DoD procurement to award an additional $15M for clothing products that were previously made by taxpaying citizens.

Why doesn’t Congress push the 6,505 prisoner jobs into private industry to provide more employment opportunity? Further, why does the Federal government prohibit contractors from using prison labor when the US government mandates that percentages of all Federal contracts be set aside for US prison labor? And last, what is the message that we are sending to both our troops and to our allies when the soldier, sailors, marines, and airman who deploy to defend our values of freedom and democracy are wearing uniforms made by US federal prisoners?

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Tags: Army Combat Helmets (ACH), Army Combat Uniforms (ACU), clothing and textile (C&T), Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Extreme Cold Weather Clothing Systems (ECWCS), Industrial Base, SPM1C1-12-C-F002, unemployment