by Ann Hoffman

About the author: Ann Hoffman is the legislative director for the Union of Needletrade, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE). The following viewpoint is adapted from her testimony before the House Subcommittee on Crime, June 25, 1998.

The general public overwhelmingly favors protecting the jobs of hardworking Americans from the unjust competition created by proposals such as

H.R. 4100, which is known as the Prison Industries Reform Act of 1998. On May 5, 1998, the Enterprise Prison Institute released a public opinion survey related to inmate work. The survey asked respondents whether they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: “The only way I would support any company setting up in prison is if there were absolute assurances we were not just shifting jobs from the community into prison.” By more than a two to one...