UNICOR
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| Founded | June 23, 1934 |
|---|---|
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Key people
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David D. Spears, Chairman Donald R. Elliott, Vice Chairman |
| Revenue | $498,405,000 (2016) |
| $44,180,000 (2016) | |
| Owner | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
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Number of employees
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10,896 (2016) |
| Website | www |
Federal Prison Industries, also known as UNICOR and FPI, is a wholly owned United States government corporation created in 1934 as a prison labor program for inmates within the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and a component of the Department of Justice.
A statute in May 1930 provided for the employment of prisoners, the creation of a corporation for the purpose was authorized by a statute in June 1934, and the Federal Prison Industries was created by executive order in December 1934.
While in the program, inmates are given vocational training. By equipping inmates with a skill set in a vocation, UNICOR aims to reduce recidivism and give former inmates the means to support themselves in post-institutional life.
UNICOR operates at no cost to taxpayers, in that it receives no appropriated funds from Congress to run its operations. In fiscal year 2015, UNICOR had net losses of $18 million. In fiscal year 2015, close to 12,278 inmates participated in the UNICOR program, which equates to approximately 7% of the inmate population eligible to participate in this program in BOP-managed facilities. All federally incarcerated individuals are expected to work in BOP-managed facilities. In general, those who choose to participate in UNICOR's voluntary industrial work program earn between $0.23 and $1.15 per hour. There are exceptions, in particular the Prison Industry Enhancement Certification program, whereby inmates earn up to the prevailing wages paid for comparable work performed in the locality. Deductions are then taken for taxes, victim restitution, program costs and court-imposed legal obligations. In 2015, UNICOR generated $472 million in sales, of which 72% was used to purchase raw materials, equipment and other supplies to produce the products and services it offers for sale; 23% paid staff salaries; and 5% paid inmate workforce wages.
As of August 2016, UNICOR operates 81 factory operations within federal prisons, nationwide, offering more than 100 products and services in 80 Federal Supply Classifications (FSCs), in areas including clothing and textiles, electronics, fleet management and vehicular components, industrial products, office furniture, recycling activities; and services including data entry, computer aided design (CAD), distribution, and more. While UNICOR's customer base consists primarily of federal government agencies, it also collaborates with private sector companies to support their subcontracting needs. It offers qualifying U.S. manufacturers domestic facilities and inmate workforce resources to repatriate their operations, with costs comparable to those of offshore production and other benefits.
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Wikipedia