Companies searching for cheap labor is very common in businesses. Consumers want to maximize their benefits, therefore to satisfy the consumers’ wants, businesses have to cut the cost of production. And the simplest way is to use cheap labor. Many companies have been using child labor and paying below minimum wages. Recently, there is even a story about prisoners doing work for a private telemarketing company and “being paid the equivalent of about 60 cents an hour- just a small fraction of the legal minimum wage.” As the prisoners take on the job, consequently jobs are being taken away from the working force.
Businesses have gone wild in exploiting the cheap labor field. They are moving to the extreme and now even using convicts for cheap labor. It could be argued that using prison labor and getting paid extremely low is unethical but then if the convicts are willing to accept the job, it is just another form of cheap labor. Businesses should pay everyone (including convicts if they hire them) at least minimum wage as set by the government. Therefore it could eliminate discrimination and also sets up a better image for businesses as they care about business ethics.
One reply on “Prison Labor, right or wrong?”
Thank you for sharing! These are really good points, but at the same time, hiring prisoners also give the prisoners an opportunity to be more involved and find their meaning of life.