Bobby Scott: “Mr. Chairman, the Federal Prison Industries program, or FPI, has been around since the 1930s. Under the law, Federal…”

“Mr. Chairman, the Federal Prison Industries program, or FPI, has been around since the 1930s. Under the law, Federal agencies are required to buy needed products from FPI if FPI can meet their order. The purpose of the program is to teach prisoners real work skills so that when they are released from prison, as they ultimately will be, they will be able to find and hold a job, they will be able to support themselves and their families, and they will be less likely to commit additional crimes. It is clear that the program works to do just that. Follow-up studies covering as much as 16 years of data have shown that inmates who participate in prison industries are 14 percent more likely to be employed and 24 percent less likely to commit crimes than others who did not participate in the program. While this certainly benefits offenders and their families, there is a more important public policy perspective, and that is that the real benefit for all of us is that as a result of the program, they will be less likely to commit crimes. We are prepared to spend billions of dollars in prison construction and prisoner upkeep in our efforts to reduce crime. This is a program that reduces crime while it pays for itself. Now, H.R. 1829 will result in fewer inmate jobs with increased taxpayer costs and an increase in crime.”