Putting Inmates to work in Prison Industries
The work of inmates touches the lives of all North Carolinians. Car license tags, street signs, highway signs and even the paint for striping streets and highways are products of inmate labor. These are just a few of the many products provided by Correction Enterprises.
In North Carolina prisons today, Enterprise jobs are primarily within the walls and fences of correction facilities providing opportunities to put close and medium custody inmates to work.
There are incentives for inmates to be assigned to Enterprise jobs. The jobs provide an incentive wage of up to three dollars per day, a reduction in sentence through gain time and development of job skills. Inmates are assigned to these jobs based on their background and the prison's needs.
In 1915, a print shop opened as a hobby program for Central Prison inmates. This first prison industry is now located at Nash Correctional Institution and provides jobs for approximately 100 inmates and supplies a substantial portion of government printing needs.
In the 1930's, the State's prisons were managed by the State Highway and Public Works Commission. During that time, inmates were assigned to build state roads, but they also worked making license plates, metal products and concrete pipes.
Correction Enterprises continues to operate industries linked to the Department of Transportation. The license plate plant remains in Central Prison, but will soon move to the North Carolina Correctional Center for Women. Inmates make street and highway signs at Nash Correctional Institution and Franklin Correctional Center.
Other manufacturing operations include the Duplicating Plant in Raleigh; Paint Plant at Johnston Correctional Center; Metal Products Plants at Brown Creek Correctional Institution and Blanch Youth Institution; N.C. Correctional Institution for Women, Moore, Pender and Marion Correctional Institutions are the locations of Sewing Plants; the Upholstery and Woodworking Plants are located at Iredell Correctional Center. The Meat Processing Plant and Janitorial Products Plant are located at Harnett Correctional Institution. In connection with Correction Enterprises farm operations, the Cannery is located at Caledonia Correctional Institution.
Correction Enterprises operates a large farm along the Roanoke River near Tillery. Dan River and Tyrell County Work Farms incorporate greenhouse operations and field growing to raise fruits and vegetables.
Services operated by Correction Enterprises include a forestry operation, seven laundries, three warehouses and a manpower force. Enterprise manages over 5,000 acres of timber in 37 counties. Laundry operations located in Asheville, Butner, Clinton, Morganton, Raleigh and Wilmington serve prisons, other state agencies and various community hospitals. Enterprises warehouses store and ship raw materials and finished products for Enterprise operations and users throughout NC. The manpower service provides supervision and inmates who move offices, paint and perform other maintenance services for state agencies. In Wilmington, inmates are assigned from New Hanover Correctional Center to keep the North Carolina Battleship Memorial in repair.
January 1996