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CALIFORNIA -- Tucked deep back in the tightly guarded machine shop of California's oldest prison, well away from the muscle flexing inmates in "the yard," a select group of convicted felons has their eyes on space. They fabricate metal housing for miniature satellites designed to explore the heavens. That's right. San Quentin inmates serving time for horrible crimes are given easy access to some of the sharpest metal humans can make.
They are, most likely, the only prisoners on Earth helping to develop products for space exploration.
Ariel Wainzinger, a man with ten months left on his sentence, said: "You come to prison and you think it's gonna be all gloom and doom and you find yourself with a lot of different opportunities and you take advantage of it."
Working under the strict guidance of NASA, Ariel and a handful of other skilled inmate machinists are making something most people have never heard of: P-PODs, Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployers, essentially, aluminum boxes designed to hold tiny satellites known as CubeSats, which ride "piggyback" into space as secondary payloads. The devices are part of a new generation of low-cost, miniature launch vehicles developed for research used by more than 150 universities worldwide.
The inmates involved in this unique NASA-San Quentin partnership seem to break most of the stereotypes society has about men behind bars. Not only do they study chemistry, calculus, and trigonometry, they look forward to their work every day. Never mind that their wages are limited to between 35 and 85 cents an hour. There's a waiting list for this prison job.
Out of a general population of more than 3,800 prisoners, machine shop instructor Richard Saenz has accepted just 27 men in his vocational education program; only five on the highly technical NASA project. A veteran government contractor on such aerospace projects as the space shuttle and the ICBM missile, Saenz is a stickler for precision. And he calls this job, training inmates to become skilled machinists, the best he has ever had.
"They have to be better than the average guy," Saenz said in describing the felons under his watch. "It's all about education, making them job worthy."
Inmates punch a time clock and learn work ethics. No attitude, no discrimination allowed. Saenz knows how hard it is to convince employers to hire an ex-felon. He's been at it for 12 years and when not working one-on-one with students in the prison shop, he's on the phone recruiting companies to sponsor the program, donate machines, and hire the men who are eventually released.
When challenged by critics who complain inmates don't deserve this kind of privilege, one felon, asking to remain anonymous, replied, "I understand where they're coming from but… I'm a human too and I think I have a second chance of deserving to go get a job as well… I've made lots of mistakes in my life. Everybody makes mistakes but I think the difference is I've been able to learn from my mistakes, realize where I went wrong in the first place and change myself in a way through positive acts… to become marketable as a citizen in society."
Except for one "lifer," all of the inmates working in the NASA directed P-POD production unit will eventually be released. Supporters of the partnership, including NASA Ames Research Center Director Pete Worden, share the perspective that inmates have a much better chance of succeeding in the outside world if, while incarcerated, they learn skills that will help them transition to an honest living upon their release.
Wainzinger has earned two NIMS (National Institute for Metalworking Skills) certificates during his time at San Quentin, which he proudly describes as the gold standard for the industry.
He argues that inmates "must be given a chance to reintegrate themselves into society" and for that, they need to develop skill sets. "It's places like this that keep the recidivism rate down", he says, "and without them, I don't know how much worse off we'd be."
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I actually think this is a pretty damned good program. I know it is early - but maybe this is a good model for others to follow. Good for NASA! And good for these guys!
Not much better than slavery. The Nazi V-2 rockets were bulit with captive labor.
So what I’m reading is that I am a fool to be inspired as a child to work hard to become an engineer so I could work in the space program. I could have committed a crime and be able to work on satellites and skipped all these student loans and then layoffs resulting from the cancellation of Constellation?
As much as I abhor the horrible criminals and the acts they do, I am in agreement with you. This is a great program. For those who want to reform, giving them the opportunity to do something phenomenal with their lives is absolutely worth it.
OK, "ED-.." it's a difference between a captive labor on the Nazi time and criminals in current time, if you don't see the difference, you have a bigger problem.
And 'Jim-..." NO, it's a totally different job to be a machinist from an engineer, if you don't know the difference, again, please google it.
I think the program is fantastic, allowing people with specific manual skills to find a way out of a vicious cycle of poverty and criminal life, inyecting science and knowledge in their lifes.
Cheers.
First of all they are not making 85 cents they also get room and board paid for by taxpayers and hopefully they will be skilled machinists, not engineers, not with college degrees. So the winners are also taxpayers. You whiny bitche$ also when they get out they can work and pay taxes. Dumb a$$es always thinking put more and more in jail are usually the same parasites that don't pay taxes. This country has 5% of the worlds population but 25% of the people in jail any innovation is wellcome. It is usually the unions that whine about this.
@Dan-1018744, it's wholly unfair to put so many people in jail. To start, everyone with drug offenses should be relieved immediately and their records reversed.
"San Quentin inmates building satellite hardware for NASA"
Is this why our Drones are being captured by IRAN in alarming numbers?
One Iranian Scientist after inspecting the chips on a captured Drone said "Wow, whoever built this must be an idiot"
DocHolliday,
NASA has nothing to do with military drones.
This is slavery. This is not good for the middle class this is good for the greedy. This is cheaper then moving overseas now. This is just the beginning.
@DocHolliday-2979123, I presume military drones are made by highly paid employees at military contractors, raking in upward of 100K a year at the minimum.
I think this is an excellent program and if more prisons would institute training programs that help create job skills and a chance at a future that maybe it would be less likely that many of these inmates will reoffend. It becomes a revolving door between prison and parole so many times because they come out here and have no support system to help them not to reoffend. Our parole system overall doesn't do a very good job at overseeing the people they are supposed to be helping and offering guidance too. So good for NASA in developing this program and working with the inmates! Criminals or not, they still deserve a step forward. Some of them have student loans to repay too when they get out and families to support.
You people like this program. Well say goodbye to manufacturing jobs. Glad you support it.
Doc Holiday - How do you "capture" a drone? And who is the yet-to-be-named Iranian scientist that you quote? I guess we are all idiots and that's why we're spying on them with our drones and they're still riding around on their camels.
I spend alot of money to send kid to school and these guys get it aS a reward for breaking the law . tell me how that makes sense??
I am inclined to think that this program, for the special few that can qualify, is a "good" thing to have as any proper education is always great to have. Where I have a problem with this is akin to closing the barn door after the horses are out. Why do we, the general public, not invest in making education more alluring to the young folk so they stay in school, get a good education above and beyond the 3 R's, and not get in trouble in the first place where we, again the general public, have to invest thousands of dollars in correctional facilities, staff, and rehabilitation programs just to get back to this point. Nip it in the bud, find out what the young kids want to learn and teach it specifically tailored to their capabilities. Not all of us are going to be doctors or engineers, so teach the trades so the young can get respectful employment and have pride in their accomplishments.
Wow, I thought all you boneheads would have gone away after the election, still working out those five brain cells I see.
Alarming #'s of drones being captured? Slave labor ? Nazi's ? Taking jobs away ? Reward for breaking the law ?
Their making BOXES for land sakes........sigh......
just like a child to use insults to make your useless point.
so the government as horrible as it is at managing the most basic of services are giving manufacturing jobs to inmates over employing the 16% unemployed we have and to top it off the inmates get room and board plus meals and medical paid for by tax-payers. whos the winner here? sure aint us.
if inmates want to learn something, its called a book, read it. i do not pay taxes so the government can give jobs to inmates while at the same time doing nothing about the financial mess we are in.
anyone who supports this also supports the current version of our governance the blatant theft of our resources and the incompetence and corruption of our elected officials.
I'm all okay with inmates performing these kinds of jobs. What the hell, at least they are contributing. What I'm not okay with is the very poor writing exhibited by the author of this piece. Good lord, in the first couple of paragraphs I see grammatical errors, context errors, sloppy, lazy writing. I couldn't continue reading any further. It made my skin crawl.
She should be incarcerated for terrible writing skills.
And by the way - who's editing this crap?
All of the negative input above about this program that
gives a person an opportunity to turn his life around must be a bunch of liberals.
They (liberals) always want to keep people beat down and in bondage to the system.
Anyone that is successive is a treat to their cause and agenda. Every prison
should have such a program to educate and train the inmates for a better life
when they are returned to the streets, this will help lower the repeat
offenders.
"The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history." ~George Orwell
Once again here is an example of the Federal Government (but States do it to) using "Slaves" that "They" have created to Deprive American Workers (slaves yet to be captured) of Jobs that pay a somewhat livable wage!
All you Gung Ho Ra Ra Swish Boom Ba Pro Government Pro Wall Street Corporate Stooges should be looking forward to Our Future Paradigm....Want a good "Job" go to Prison...
PS....THAT INCLUDES YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN! No matter what you "Think" You Ain't Special!
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever." ~ George Orwell, 1984
ROBERT, I like how you back peddle in your statement. First of all if this is the liberal's doing, how are they beating them down? Sounds to me like they are giving the prisoners a chance to learn a skill to be self sufficiant on the outside world. Would you prefer them to not learn skills and continue living on taxpayer money?? Please to me how this is "beating them down". Just like the repub you are, believing your own lies. The election is over, crawl back under your rock.
whelp, i guess this is better than having underaged kids at 5 cents an hour in china do it...
Randy-394876 Why Bother? The only way they are going to "Keep" their "Job" is to stay in Prison!
a chance to learn a skill to be self sufficiant on the outside world...Hahaha want a bunch of Propaganda and Disinformation BS!
These are FELONS no one will hire them REMEMBER! Their only hope is to stay in jail keep their families on Welfare and accept the 0.85 an hour (everyone else pays a Dollar A Day so I question NBC Facts) and hope their love ones don't starve!
Hey If they wait long enough they might get to see their Sons or Daughters.....On the Prison Assembly line!
Psst......People who support this kind of Government Slavery For Profit makes me SICK....I long for the day when "You and Yours" get this kind of a "Job"!
One wanders to the left, another to the right. Both are equally in error, but, are seduced by different delusions.~Horace
Hey, didn't anybody read the story? The NASA part involves five(5) jobs, really going to cause a bump in the employment rate. The are all(but one) going to get out some day and they will be trained to get good jobs and not return to "Q" or any other prison. Convicts have done some kind of work like this since they stopped making little rocks out of big rocks.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ~George Orwell
Hey okie joe-3728210....Don't be fooled. This is just another "Trial Balloon" by the Federal Government to see if they can make "Slavery" even more profitable while destroying even more American Freemen / Freewoman Jobs!
Don't believe.......
http://www.alternet.org/story/150777/defense_contractors_using_prison_labor_to_build_high-tech_weapons_systems
http://www.workers.org/2011/us/pentagon_0609/
http://www.infowars.com/factory-owners-federal-prisoners-stealing-our-business/
This is just another move to make the "Enslavement" of Americans Profitable to the Mega Rich who now "OWN" our Government while knocking down even more Paying Jobs for "Non Prisoner" Labor!
Research the subject further and you will find we all fall into one of two categories Captured or Non Captured Slaves to the Plutocracy of Banksters on Wall Street that now control our Government!
Remember.....One day soon it will be you or yours "They" come for and the "Truth" is where you find it!
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” ~ George Orwell, Animal Farm
And I am to feel sorry for them? That won't happen. I personally prefer that they stayed locked up in their cells 24/7 and allowed one shower a week, served the blandest food and no tv, radio, newspaper. The real bad ones I would like to see chased by some madman with a chainsaw. Maybe someone from their victims family.
For those of you who complain this is taking "our" manufacturing jobs, you need to read the article and comprehend. Out of 3,800 prisoners, ONLY 27 have been vetted for this job. I don't see this translating to "manufacturing" jobs or factories.
I personally believe that prisons and prisoners, should be producing their own food by farming and raising livestock; by constructing and maintaining their own buildings and building their own furniture. The prisoners would then manage to learn some kind of skill - construction, agriculture, etc. so that they would have a skill when they get out. This has the added bonus of reducing the amount it costs taxpayers.
This will make you want to start targeting everyone in law enforcement and judges as well as their families.
The governments in these areas allowing for this slavery to take place need to be placed under citizens arrest by the blacks & Mexicans in these states.
Arrest them and hold them in undisclosed locations.
Is obama HELPING TO ENSLAVE HIS OWN PEOPLE AGAIN.
nOW THIS IS A REASON FOR TERRORISM.
eNSLAVE MY PEOPLE THEN OFF WITH YOUR HEADS YOU KKK
bAST#$%!!!!!
gO AFTER THE LEADERS BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY....
nOT THE INNOCENT BUT THOSE IN GOVERNMENT FOR THIS......
NO MISPLACED ANGER!!!!!
Slavery gives individuals the right to go and target the leadership.
They can't protect themselves there is 't enough police in the world but one thing that will start because of this is citizens arrest now start looking for your politicians.....
Because we are now coming after all who are involved....
PLAYA...
NOthing to lose every thing to gain in the face of What is right.
Come to our jails you political MFers taking advantage and the rights of individuals./
After your ancestors did the same thing!!!!
Never will we let you don't get away with this you or any government official.
PLAYA...
Sorry for the angered response to this article on slavery but it invokes a spirit that is uncontrollable.
I can't comprehend the fact that NASA is using these tactics to enslave those who I consider my brothers.
I don't wish harm on anyone but, I don't wish slavery on anyone either.
The government needs to stop this immediately and those in government needs to be proactive in making sure this is nipped in the bud.
It makes you remember the days of slavery and I can't tolerate this one bit.
i hate waking up to stories that compose the facts that people are being abused and written in a way that protects the very thought.
I hate the direction this country is moving into and how we are moving in the opposite direction.
PLAYA....
Why would you want to leave?
35 cents a hour and having to sleep with your toilet.
It's like the Foxconn factory, haha.
Better sit on you ass in prison doin nothing.
John-98421, Unless you have been there you have no idea. 35 cents an hour is a LOT in a prison. You also forget, they (the inmates) put themselves in prison by breaking a law or 12.
I spent 5 1/2 years working in a prison and have seen things you can not imagine. This program sounds great and fine but when it takes a job from a LAW ABIDING citizen just to save some tax payer money it is wrong. Saving taxpayer money can be done by other means that are much better and dont take jobs.
I don't really agree with this type of prison labor in any form.
People state it's great for 'reforming' criminals. Eh, I want to see the recidivism rates over a decade with these types of programs before that statement has any ground to it. Others say hey it's saving the 'taxpayers' money. Actually it isn't. The law abiding citizens pay taxes, not the incarcerated ones. I think those law abiding citizens deserve to get their own money back before one that violated the tenants of society we've established. Ultimately it's no better then having China's Foxconn make it (as someone stated above), just we keep a tighter reign on the actual technology getting dispersed.
Hmm...They could be pounding big rocks into little rocks with a small ball peen hammer and then have to glue them back together to do it all over again,
Or they could be making license plates- a thankless job,
Or they could be making the chassis for small satellites and support a fledgling space industry where the benefits support mankind in general.
Amazing how Libtards are willing to stretch this program to classify it as slavery or forced labor. These individuals that got incarcerated lost all their rights as a citizen (IMO) but to have the Left think or even imagine this is as cruel and unusual punishment is astounding. Come to Virginia and you will see these same type of inmates mowing the grass in-between the medians on the roads. Go into the deep South and you will have chain gangs. But between Amnesty International and the rest of the Left Libtards, no matter what you have these prisoners do, it will always be someone else's fault rather than the fault of the criminal.
If their sentences are finished, I would want these 'reformed' ex-convicts that served their time have an opportunity to still be a contributing member of society so that they do not fall back into the same lifestyle they had previous.
You Libtards out there, stop pinning the blame on society for the criminals' actions; EVERYONE is responsible for their own actions and EVERYONE has the same chances in life; you can't save everyone. There is a reason everything in life has a bell curve; some people has to be a Bill Gates and some people have to be a ditch digger.
Good article. I hope these inmates are given a decent chance when they're released.
Not a chance. If you can't get work with a clean record and a college degree then ex-con 'machinists' don't stand a chance for employment after release. However, while they're inside, they can keep the non-lawbreaking machinists on the outside unemployed.
Albert Speer did a number of years in Spandau Prison for a program similar to this one.
There are FIVE people working on the project, I doubt, Clark and DTM, that they are responsible for the current level of unemployment. I was reading another article this morning about the fact that despite the high level of unemployment, companies still have trouble finding people with the right SKILLS to do the work they need done.
DTM, if you worked in a prison then you should know that the best way to keep people from returning to prison is to make sure they are employable after they leave. By giving these people a skill that employers need, we up the chance they will get a job and not fall back into the patterns that got them into prison in the first place. I can think of few better uses of taxpayer's dollars than programs like this.
Wait a sec. Wasn't it just last year that Homeland Security passively forced many JPL employees & NASA scientists (rocket scientists and such) to quit due to them not wanting the FBI to completely go through their past life (acquaintances, drug use, criminal activity...) just to gain security clearance to NASA, once again NASA publishes all of it findings anyways, so why the need for security clearance when they will let inmates (FYI an inmate is someone that HAS had prior drug use and/or criminal activity. What a disgrace how our government decides to manage itself. Shame on our gov't and shame on Obama for putting so many radicals in higher up government employment. John P. Holdren is one of those and should in fact be jailed...http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2011/11/04/obamas-science-advisor-accused-of-breaking-u-s-law-says-so-what/
Also putting all those failed Bank CEO's from 2008-2009 into financial positions within the government. Obviously anyone that voted for Obama has done absolutely no research on the people he put into power. Now sham on the American people for not doing their homework.
Waa Waaaaaaaa Obama Obama.... Is that what you said?
There is no reason for the FBI to perform a security check of NASA employees. NASA is not DoD.
@MR2KUHL, it is clear that your inflammatory goal here with your post is just Obama-bashing. We know he is not perfect, but he is by far the lesser of two evils.
I agree that this is a good program. People deserve a second chance but they need job skills.
@ AB-1981 the lesser of evils? What other evil? You must mean the economy as a whole, because that is Obama's clearest adversary. Oh and I saw your statement about releasing everyone with drug charges as well. How bright of you to suggest that. Let me guess. You're anti-2nd amendment as well. Aren't you? Minimum wage for prisoners...smdh. "You can't take the ghetto out of the..." (you can finish the statement with one of your other "bright" ideas)
And this has what to do with the POTUS?
No Robert Leake you finish your statement,"You can't take the ghetto out of the..."
What?
@ Bobtoyou - pick a noun...any noun. I'm sure you have some creative ones in mind, but the one I'll go with is "boy". Real men eventually outgrow their bad habits and destructive pasts. We don't use external circumstances to determine our ambitions or disposition. So what a few guys in prison got better jobs than some of us have? Good for them. I don't begrudge them that I worked hard for my degree to have a job that isn't quite as good. I simply have more pride in myself because I didn't have to commit a crime to get here. I also have more pride in my country for realizing that second chances trump calling someone a "lost cause". When you learn to accept hard truths, you grow as a person and enrich the lives of those around you.
@Robert Leake, I am strongly in favor of the Second Amendment. Our prisons are an economic burden because of the sheer number of prisoners. Most narcotics, except maybe some designer drugs, never directly benefited or harmed anyone who didn't consume them. I'm in favor of more freedoms, not less, as long as no third-party is harmed. You were apparently brainwashed a great deal as a child.
@ AB-1981 "A drug never harmed anyone who didn't consume it." "You were brainwashed." So the import of illegal drugs into the country puts nobody at risk except those who consume it? Who was brainwashed now? I'll admit I reached on the 2nd Amendment. I'm very capable of forming my own opinions without race/gender/background stereotypes and/or media biases. Thanks!
@Robert Leake, why do they have to be illegal in the first place? Alcohol is harmful but is legal. Ever work out the pros and cons? We'd be making billions if only we taxed them instead. The criminal aspect of it would largely disappear. Get a brain.
@ AB-1981, In that sense I do agree with you. The revenue would certainly help to offset our deficit and eliminate debt-creating policies related to drugs. I also realize, however, that my responsibility as a citizen (and a means to maintain my credibility) is to ask those questions through the proper channels and obey the CURRENT laws. I don't disagree with your ideas, just your method of delivery.
@Robert Leake, fair enough. I learn from your feedback. I obey the law too, except when it comes to driving too slow. The recent decriminalization of limited amounts of marijuana in some states is an example that goes to show that the past laws criminalizing it were misguided. I believe the war on drugs and the war on unjust prison punishments are to be negated at every level, and not just through the proper channels.
Wonderful! I need a good machinist, with experience. When you are released and want a chance at living the dream of a working responsible citizen send me a resume. lsmith@clintonindstries.net The plus is you have to move to the great state of Kentucky!
government has no authority to make a product illegal for personal consumption or private trade.
http://www.constitution.org/cons/constitu.htm
this is the US constitution, please tell us all what section gives the government authority to outlaw any product that may be chosen by a citizen. government cannot say alcohol and tobacco are legal while saying marijuana and opium are illegal. do you not see the double standard here?
government can warn citizens if a product is bad and they can prevent products that are mislabeled and go after anyone whos intent is to harm using products but they have no authority to ban anything.
MR2KUHL, if you actually read the story you would find that these guys are making metal boxes that someone else, somewhere else is going to put a satellite into. They don't need security clearances anymore than you would if you made Cheerios boxes.
And where did the drug business come from?
So the moral of the story is to commit a crime, be thrown in prison, then take advantage of a trade internship. Sounds like an easier road to an education than I got working my way through college.
Except you don't have a felony on your record so you'll likely get a job afterward. These guys will not.
why not just lock people up for life then no matter the offense? lol its about showing some people can take advantage of a second chance (or third maybe), and become contributing members of society when they get out..yes, i see why you have questions lol
Actually since this country is about 250,000 workers short in the CNC category, these guys are likely to find jobs without a lot of problems.
It's like deep sea welding and slavage, one of the best places to learn is another Califormia Prision in CHINO.
Too bad our Community Colleges don't have as effective programs.
Prisons and prison life is hell!! To think anyone would go to prison as a career path is beyond stupid. These people are getting out anyways, the best thing they can do for society is be skilled and contribute positivly to the economy.
To think someone doing time will get out and just quietly work for minum wage the rest of his life while staying out of trouble is short sighted. I would bet anything that repeat offences are quite low with these guys
prison is only hell when you make it so. there are lots of career prisoners who call their cell home and have lots of 'friends' to pass time. many commit crimes juts to get back because its the only thing they know or are comfortable with.
if our government (all levels) didnt want to make criminals out of everyone then our prison system would not be so screwed up. look at the laws and you can only assume we are being controlled and once we step out of line we are labeled a criminal.
I am sure the furthest thing from my mind would be going to prison to learn a trade. Dare I say if I ever got convicted and had to go to prison, the thing on my mind would be wondering how I was going to avoid being someone's bitch (because there is always someone bigger than you) and forced to swallow a load or take a dick in the ass.
PASS- I would rather go to college and work my way up the corporate ladder rather than watching my six to ensure I don't get shanked or ass raped.
Better than NASA outsourcing the work to CHINA!!!!!!
Make no mistake - this is legitimized slavery in America. Even prisoners deserve at least minimum wage. It is totally not fair to pay them 35-85c an hour. How about I hire prisoners for my company too, and effectively screw over the local townspeople?
Yup a return to The "workhouses". A way around minimum wage.
AB, you can. Just contact the prison industry office for your state. Most likely there is a website.
Yep. Politicians get people riled up talking about jobs being outsourced, but guess what? They're being outsourced to prisons, which are increasingly privately owned and operated. They get subsidized per prisoner by the government, then make money off the labor of those prisoners at a tidy profit.
Well, the prisoners do have their room a board paid for, so they don't have the same needs as those who aren't in jail, who must feed, clothe and pay for housing for themselves and families on their pay. So I do not see why they would need to be paid minimum wage. A minimum wage earner probably is lucky to have 85 cents an hour left after they pay their bills.
On the other hand, I hope the difference between the workers' pay and minimum wage is being paid to the prison, to help cover the costs of running the program and the cost of running the prison. While I like the idea for the program, I have to agree that it might be taking jobs from civilians who really need the work, as well as undervaluing the work.
Then you would be B*tching that the taxpayers were paying them minimum wage... can't have the cake and eat it too.
@Lovely-2035151, they didn't directly ask for it. They're in prison against their will. We owe it to all prisoners to provide for their basic living, and we aren't doing them any favors either.
If you think prison life is so much better than life outside and fancy a life with no bills, free housing, food, clothes, and jobs, why don't you go into prison and stay there for the rest of your life?
AB... Slavery? Hardly, complete medical, dental 3 hots and a cot plus valid work experience with a small wage. (Some people whine over anything) This beats hell out of sitting on your butt or pumping iron or such silly crap. Those of you that think drugs should be legitimized and taxed have never run in to a full bore tweaker in need. Turn them loose and they'll be commiting crimes within hours of release..
I think you have a severe fault in your likening this slavery. I believe the program is available to inmates that "sign-up" suggesting that this is a voluntary program that they enter to better themselves when they could just as easily skip out on such a commitment and just hang around the prison.
The only thing it has taken away is the chance for some bafoons to overcharge NASA. Remember the 5,000 dollar toilet seats?? We are supposed to be teaching those in prison so they aren't burning up taxpayer money you idiots
Spoken like a true Libtard.
Thanks for speaking up; it's good to know which ones are the sheep...You can't have it both ways. I amazed how each generation strips tradition away and wants EVERYTHING to be fair for all. I got news for you: Everything is fair for all, but if you want to break the law and want to get incarcerated, you have a new life and it will not be pleasant. In this case, you will make less than a dollar for every hour of work you do. Be happy it isn't at gunpoint.
Just because they are in the bighouse doesn't mean they are pointing a gun at you; only if you try to breakout or cause harm would they point a gun at you. Otherwise, stay peaceful and the guards will stay peaceful.
:-/
AB, California spends $49,000 per year per prisoner. They are getting more than minimum wage. You cannot only count their salary, you have to count the cost of their support. They may only be paid $0.85/per hour but they also have no housing costs, no food or utility costs, have cable, internet access, medical/dental care and job training.
They are not in prison against their will. They are in prison as a direct consequence of the decisions they made to break laws they knew had prison as an outcome if caught and convicted. Slaves were rounded up at gunpoint, chained in the bottom of a ship, taken thousands of miles from home and sold as property.
Its time to unsaddle the high horse and climb down.
China and the good ol U.S. of A. using prison labor to build things cheaply. Hmmm......
And you would have the prisoners do what instead? Hmmm...
This is totally impossible, George Bush is responsible for killing middle class. Someone call the WH and find out what the deal is. Where is the SEIU when you need them. Good thing Walmart is evil, this is the only place these guys will be able to afford to shop on that salary.
Leave for a story about prisoners becoming Bush's fault....typical freaking libretard parrot.
All the time I read barely intelligible posts from haters who blame minorities and the down-and-out for their financial shortcomings and problems finding employment. In the meantime, a fellow Latino is teaching gangstas advanced STEM skills so that they can make it out of the 'hood and get ahead in the aerospace industry.
Aha, aha, AHAHAHAHAHAHA...God, I love the U.S.A.
Cut the stupid comments, guys. Inmates don't go to prison without expectation of getting out. Would you rather they emerge with no marketable skills? They have families who are suffering for their errors but prison is not just for punishment. It's a place to reassess your life and how to turn it around. Mic, if you want to take the prison "short cut", go right ahead and give it a shot...if you're man enough.
It's too bad only 27 inmates out of 3,800 are getting this sort of education. The rest are doomed to become statistics of our failed prison system. Recidivism rates in this country are horrific, and we only have for profit prisons to blame for that. The prisons don't make money if prisoners don't commit more crimes, and therefore return to prison, after they are released.
Typical, it's the prison's fault that the prisoner commits crimes when released, not the prisoner's.
iam for helping the guys who need help and desire help as an ex inmate i understand how difficult it is to re emerge and its a very scary ordeal thank god i was able to go out in the community and work and save and left with a pretty penny and was able to pay off all of my fines and restitution . It really helps and if folks don't like it well maybe they should spend some time in there and see just how hard it is to get out of a mistake you once made i have been out going on 9 yrs and thank god i had a chance to make life right again . Always remember this nothing comes free ever you have to earn what you have.
i commend you on your effort to get cleaned up..its not easy. I also respect your level of accountability. Bravo sir, and i wish you the best in your future endeavors!
You do have to earn what you have. For a felon that has already made a mistake it's even harder to earn the same stuff you would've been earning before. It sets you back. Granted, there aren't that many that actually want to be like the rest of society. For the ones that do, it isn't an easy transition at all to crawl out of that stigma. Remember everyone, you can be charged with a felony for a lot of things that wouldn't be considered that bad of an offense. It isn't always murder or violent crimes..
Good for you. I wish you a Merry Christmas
Don't let any unions get a hold of this info. If you do (much like those highly skilled Los Angeles clerical port workers) they'll soon be making $195,000 per year - Yikes!! - BTW - where can I sign up for one of those clerical positions - Eh?
I suspect you'll have to blow a union official for starters and then pay dues so the union cranks can stand around and complain.
I too believe programs like this are great. But once theyre trained and possess the skillset to produce valuable work they should be paid accordingly. That way they are actually working for something they get to keep at the end of the day.
hey dumb a$$, they get their room and board paid and they are paying their debt to society, and when they finish that then they have skills and can keep what they earn. There is not much of a job market for making license plates or breaking rocks. It is 30K plus per inmate paid for by the taxpayers, and the training, it is a good deal for all, they don't have to participate.
did you forget they are in PRISON they are criminals but they have the right to get a second chance if they want it.
I think paying restitution for their crime has to be figured in somewhere.
Plus, they get free armed guards, 24/7. No chance of being burglarized.
Why don't we have the convicts do ALL of our labor and manufacturing? That way, at a pay rate of 35 cents to 85 cents an hour, our labor rates would be competitive with many other countries. Who knows, maybe then other countries would outsource their work to us!! We probably have a prison population equal in size to the labor population anyway, so where's the problem? Just think...lower wages, lower prices on stuff, watch out China and India.... we're coming!
Is Mitt your uncle????
Prison Industrial Complex. Haz a nice ring 2 it Ya Think?
To those feeling they should be paid minimum wage or more, then having them cover the costs to the taxpayers for their room and board during their time in prison only seems fair to me. There are a whole lot of people having to do the exact same thing on the outside for minimum wage. The jobs they are doing help offset these costs, and they are receiving some very solid training.
Comparing this to slavery is bs... slavery involved innocent people who had done nothing wrong. These prisoners are making an excellent effort... much more of an effort than many on the outside. And no, they will never be at NASA or any other critical US agency. Not gonna happen. But they received great training that will hopefully opens doors for them to become contributing citizens at one of the millions of small businesses who can look past the felony and see a hard working person who overcame some serious odds to correct their mistakes.
I wanna go to jail! ha just joking, but really, you guys talking bull about this really need to just shut up, there's nothing wrong with it. It's quite good actually.
Are you kidding me?? Obama’s people couldn’t find law biding people to do the work. This country is so upside down. These jobs should be done by people who aren’t criminals and that need jobs. Obama you sure have this country screwed up. The only job convicts should be doing is turhing big rocks into small rocks.
Waaaa Waaaaa Obama Obama. Get a life.
Your an idiot.
Yeah, Obama is micro managing a program he cut funding to (NASA's lowest budget EVER in history) all while sending work to prisons...
You hate Obama so much you can't even comprehend what you read.
What? The article said that the program has been around for 12 years! Obama has been president for 4. How can you be this stupid and talk trash on someone who became president!
Hey Great idea. I'll bet all the good folks at Kennedy Space Center who've been given pink slips the last 2 years are just thrilled with this venture too !!
The whole point of prison is rehabilitation, not punishment. It has took civilized societies a few centuries to realize that severe punishment in prison only means you get a more determined convict once released. And instead of someone who sits in a cell most of the day, you actually teach them how it is to go to work and earn there keep. I wish more state prisons would learn from this example.
They may only be paid 35 or so cents a hour plus room and board. How much would it be to have it done elsewhere? I think the government should have more systems in place like this. It was not that long ago inmates in New York prisons made toys for Mattel. I think they gave away some privileges when they took to crime. And it is a federal law barring the use of a prisoner as slave labor by private enterprise.
However, they are still humans and deserved to be treated as such no matter what they have done. And i think this is a good way to learn skills while there and prepare for life outside the bars. Funny, i read an article that showed 70 percent of all released felons from both state and federal prisons who learned a skill such as this, once released entered society as a working, tax paying citizen never to run afoul of the law again. The same survey showed that 97 percent who were simply locked up in a cell were doomed to return to prison for the same or greater crimes.
I have mixed feelings. On one hand, it's a nice change of pace that we're actually doing something to encourage those on the wrong path to learn the skills needed to get on the right path. But on the other hand we're basically using slave labor at the cost of American jobs.
can you elaborate on the slave labor bit??? (seriously)
IMO they are sucking off the tax payers money already---3 hots and a cot---health/medical with no way of paying back into the system. How is SIGNING UP for the program to earn a bit of money in a legitimate way and helping out to bring down the obnoxious costs towards NASA's endeavors considered slavery?
This is simply the coolest thing I have read in a long, long time. God bless the people who had the courage to create this program
Yes, it is easy to criticize and find things to dislike about it. But just look at what it has to do for morale, and to give some dignity back to these guys!
They now have a pretty attention-grabbing resume! This is demanding work that takes a lot of skill, and they have demonstrated an ability to follow the rules and work with others.
THis should truly be a model program for other prisons! When you have a waiting list of 3800 prisoners, I think it says something pretty profound about what motivates "criminals"!
Hooray!
lol Its easy to see who the closed minded, hate driven, all about a few and forget the rest, sexist, Blaming their sad lives on Obama types are on here.
Everything isn't about politics, The program is a great Idea, Most but not everyone convicted deserves a second chance, And everyone behind bars is not an dumb animal.
Hey if it keeps criminals doing something positive to help the country, besides having them kill eathother we should all agree it a good thing right??
lol But noooo the now proven (Minorty) of America will say bla bla bla negative bla bla bla hate driven bla bla bla. Obama this Bla bla bla
And we say Romney lost because the Majority of Americans aren't like you guys ha ha ha hahahahaha