Recently, the Mt Holyoke News published an article wherein a student complained about the Fair Labor Code of Conduct’s stipulation against prison labor.  The point has caused some confusion with students, who laugh a bit at the notion of orange-suited prisoners taking the place of our excellent Facilities Management workers, or Dining Services employees.  Although that is certainly far-fetched, it isn’t too far off to imagine a day when Mt Holyoke begins sub-contracting work, especially like housekeeping and dining hall work, out to various companies.  This is a practice that is spreading, because it’s cheap—unlike a Mt Holyoke employee who gets benefits (hopefully adequate) and decent pay, these companies use people in a way similar to a temping agency, not providing any benefits, or security, or even a decent, living wage.

So, what does this have to do with prisons and prison labor?  One of the biggest companies in the dining services industry is called Sodexho Marriott Services (SMS)--Marriott was an American company, bought out by the French Sodexho, and is now a French corporation.  SMS is known for serving up bad food, providing workers with poor wages and no benefits, which isn’t good for students, or workers—and for owning private, for-profit prisons globally.

 Private prisons are notorious for being even worse than regular old government-run prisons, which aren’t exactly the most pleasant of places—when you hear about prisoners being killed or beaten in riots, women prisoners being raped or abused by guards, there’s a good chance that the incident happened at one of these private, for-profit prisons.  According to one study, there are "fifty percent more assaults on prison staff and two-thirds more inmate-on-inmate assaults in private prisons."  The guards aren’t trained as well, the medical treatment is horrid, and rehabilitation and education for prisoners is nearly nonexistent at these prisons, which are much more interested in turning a profit than in giving prisoners the opportunity to turn their lives around.  I won’t even go into the issue of who ends up in the prison system to begin with, and the many flaws of the justice system itself.

The prisoners at these for-profit prisons--which are being paid for with our tax dollars although they aren’t doing much for our society—do make a handy source of labor for the corporation, and perform a variety of tasks, from sewing, to packaging goods, to assembling products.  Why rehabilitate people when you’re being paid to jail them, and while you’re jailing them for profit can also hire out their labor, for more profit?  Keep those prisoners coming, they’re a great source of profit!

Why would Mt Holyoke want to get mixed up with this kind of company, even if it did decide to outsource Dining Services?  Especially when there are other, less disturbing, companies available to choose from.  Mt Holyoke money shouldn’t be going into the pocket of a company that profits off of social ills, or that abuses its workers, and the “no prison labor” point of the Fair Labor Code of Conduct reflects that commitment.  I suppose some of us have poor enough taste to think that SMS’ food ‘tastes good, and is good for society, too!’—but those of us with five intact senses and a healthy sense of justice should be able to see the bigger picture.