AMERICAN WORKFORCE

Over the past 15 years the trend for many large companies and major corporations has been to move jobs off shore in order to keep employment costs low and productivity high. With our private industry partnership opportunities and programs, companies can now do both – AND keep these valuable jobs in America.

Many people understand inmates have jobs, but most people don’t realize the variety of products and services they actually provide and the byzantine pay system in place for many prison jobs. It’s not just license plates anymore: Prisoners operate call centers, build office furniture, construct houses, create works of art and mix the paint used on highways.

The Ellsworth Correctional Facility (ECF) partners with two (2) different classes of private industry employment – prison based and non-prison based.

Prison based private industry employment is located inside the secure perimeter of ECF, whereas non-prison based private industry employment is found outside the secure perimeter of ECF in the private sector.

In either instance of private industry employment, offenders are required to pay the following deductions from their gross wages.

Totals below are based on FY 2015 numbers:

Room and Board      25%      $572,639.75
Dependent Care      25%      (If applicable)
Criminal Court Costs      $9,843.07
Court Ordered Restitution      5%      $69,550.66
Collections Agency Fees      $4,873.65
Crime Victims Compensation*      5%      $44,978.88
Mandatory Savings      10%      $87,497.54

*If no court costs/restitution is owed.

Private Industry Participation Benefits to ECF, KDOC, and Offenders

• Private industry provides meaningful job skills for offenders to help them reintegrate into society as well as assist them with the opportunity to save money to utilize upon release.
• Private industry provides increased moral of offender population due to the opportunity to earn money for their release, purchase needed items in the facility, and send money home to help their families.
• Private industry assists in decreasing disciplinary issues due to the possibility of private industry placement and incentive to retain this opportunity once hired, which results in a more stable, secure facility.
• Private industry contributes to the decrease of offenders going to the clinic to request medical restrictions that may not necessarily be needed, as well as decreases the number of sick call appointments and medical lay-ins.
• Private industry participation creates a decrease in the amount of money the State of Kansas pays for bus tickets and gate money upon releases, as policy requires offenders with $500 or more in savings to purchase their own.
• Private industry participation provides a solid preparation for reentry of offenders through the enhancement of job skills, payment of restitution, court costs, child support, and family financial needs.

ECF Private Industry Employment Endeavors Include:

• Great Plains Manufacturing, a prison based private industry, which specializes in manufacturing agricultural equipment, began operations at ECF on September 12, 2005. Offenders working at ECF provide welding services of small sub-component parts for farm equipment.
• Hagen GP, began operations at ECF as a prison based private industry in December 2010. Offenders working at ECF provide welding services of small sub-component parts for cattle chutes.
• Maico Industries, Ellsworth, Kansas, began employing offenders in a non-prison based private industry capacity in November 2005. Maico specializes in 3-plate built-up structural steel beams and girders for the construction of shopping malls, factories, manufacturing plants, airport hangars, factory warehouses, schools, public works, public utility co-ops, steel mills, hospitals, medical centers, and much more.
• Moly Manufacturing, partnered with ECF to provide non-prison based private industry employment in Lorraine, Kansas in August 2007. Offenders working at Moly provide welding services for assemble of cattle chute completion.
• Great Plains Manufacturing, once again partnered with ECF to provide non-prison based private industry employment in March 2012. Offenders provide welding services to manufacture agricultural equipment.
• PKM Steel, partnered with ECF to provide non-prison based private industry employment in May 2014. PKM Steel is located in Salina, Kansas. Offenders provide welding services to manufacture heavy and intermediate structural steel for all types of commercial and industrial buildings.