US Government Employs Slave Labor to Compete Against Private Companies

The United States government is forcing federal prisoners to make products that federal agencies have to buy, undercutting and driving out of business companies in Michigan and elsewhere.

Federal Prison Industries, Inc., also known as UNICOR, is a wholly owned government corporation created in 1934 by statute and Executive Order that produces goods and services from the labor of inmates of the United States Federal Bureau of Prisons. In fiscal year 2008, UNICOR employed 21,836 inmates and generated US$854.3 million in sales. UNICOR has 109 factories in federal prisons, producing about 175 different types of products and services, including electronics, green technology, automotive components, industrial products, and office furniture.

Under US laws and regulations, federal agencies, with the exception of the Department of Defense, are required to purchase products offered by UNICOR. This "mandatory source clause" lets UNICOR unfairly compete with private businesses, all while paying substandard wages and require that inmates work in unsafe conditions.

I'm probably way off on this, but my dad produces furniture and automotive parts, and can't get a job, and I would hate to believe that a part of the reason for this is that the US government is employing slave labor to produce substandard quality goods in unsafe work conditions for resale to other government agencies.