I make $1.70 an hour. This is the best level of job here; most people make half of this or even less. I have heard the term “slave labor” thrown around by my peers for years, and by people out there in the free world. But I think it’s absurd. First of all, we don’t HAVE to work these jobs at all, which means they shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same sentence as actual slavery. Secondly, our food, rent, and health care bills are already paid, even if we don’t work at all and just lay around all day. So if you take into account what the taxpayers pay to support us here, then we are really making about 25 thousand a year.

I’m not saying prison conditions or jobs are ideal, but I think prisoners ought to keep things in perspective.

Dan Turner
DOC# 767569