Call Center Hires Prisoners
by Joey Tung
You never know who you might be on the phone with.
Becoming Green, a company providing sonar energy roofing panels, has admitted to the hiring of prisoners from the Prescoed minimum-security prison to work at their call centres. The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that 23 inmates are participating in the company’s effort to support the rehabilitation and resettlement of offenders. They are paid £3 a day.
The noteworthy detail in this is that since this incident, 17 of the company’s original staff have been let go. Becoming Green claims that this is a normal happening in call centre environments and that no staff member has been replaced by prisoners.
A former employee recalls when the staff of Becoming Green was informed that prisoners were going to work at the company; prisoners whose crimes ranged from murder to drug offences. Some staff members claim to have felt pressured to resign after they realized that the company had acquired capable “employees” for nearly no cost.
How ethical is it for a company to exploit the low costs of hiring prisoners? Does their assertion that hiring offenders equals a rehabilitation chance balance this issue out?
For me, this is an issue that is in need of a few guidelines.
Sources:
- Prisoners paid £3 a day to work at call centre that has fired other staff
- Call centre brings in prison labour at £3/day, fires regular workers
- Row over Prescoed prisoners paid £3 a day at call centre
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While I understand the evidence make the whole case look suspicious, I think assimilating prisoners back into the work force in a controlled environment is a great way of rehabilitating them. Call centers often hire people part-time and seasonally and their staff changes quite frequently. I feel that hiring inmates allow the company to employ cheap labour while still having a positive effect on the community
I also agree with your perspective but I feel that companies can easily take this “rehabilitation” excuse too far. While I respect a companies responsibility to maximize profits, I don’t think normal employees should feel they are competing for jobs with inmates because of wages. Which brings this back to how this exercise should have more rules placed.
While rehabilitating prisoners is great for the community,the wages are awfully low. A better wage closer to the employees working at the company may teach them the value of their work. That way they don’t feel as exploited and get closer to returning to society.
That is how I feel about the situation as well. Having similar wages would make current employees feel less threatened and inmates feel motivated to work.
I agree that this company is in need of a few guidelines. Employees make a living from these jobs and should not be laid off. For some, this may be their only opportunity to work. Prisons should set up their own facilities to help, “rehabilitate” their convicts.
Yes, I’ve always thought it would make most sense to have jobs within the prison rather than have them take on the jobs of other people in the society. Personally, I’d feel a bit safer if prisoners started their “rehabilitation” exercises within the prison premises.