What do they do in US prisons?

This spring, the United Arab Emirates is going to conclude a deal on the supply of American weapons worth $ 7 billion. About half of these funds will be spent on the purchase of Patriot missiles, each of which costs, neither more nor less, $ 5.9 million.

There is something to be surprised about, but this is not a contract value, but the fact that some parts of these missiles are made by hand, by guys who earn $ 0.23 per hour, in US federal prisons.

Unicor , formerly known as Federal Prison Industries, does this work for the US military industry. The company, as it is now fashionable to say, "with state participation" and was created during the Great Depression, today has about 20,000 "employees" in 70 different "institutions", and is engaged in virtually everything - from tailoring and making dishes to assembly solar panels and military electronics.

The assembly of the Patriot missile system is one of the company's many specialties. “UNICOR / FPI provides electronic components and services for suggestive missiles such as the Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3),” says the company's website. “We collect and distribute auxiliary signal processors (IFP) for PAC-3 missiles. The IFP chip receives and filters the radio signals that lead missiles to targets. ”
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After assembly, components are shipped worldwide — sometimes with the help of the country's highest political forces. Last year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates showed Patriot missiles to the Turkish government, which was recorded in one of the WikiLeaks entries, with the words: "When it comes to opportunities, there is not a single system similar to PAC-3."

As it turned out, not only the two largest arms manufacturers in the US (Lockheed Martin and Raytheon) use the services of "cons". As UNICOR director notes, “prisoners also assemble cables for F-15s from McDonnell Douglas together with Boeing, components for Cobra helicopters for Bell and Textron, as well as optical-electronic laser range finders for BAE Systems Bradley Fighting Vehicle systems.”

With Lockheed Martin, by the way, a funny story came out, during which a company representative said that "UNICOR components were never used to build guidance systems." Adding, at the same time, that the result of the labor of prisoners is more often used in assembling systems for launching and flight correction (a completely different song) - which is supplied by Raytheon, another company in this “rocket” pair.

If you think that the activity of UNICOR is limited to this - you are mistaken. For example, 44,000 military helmets recalled due to marriage were also collected by prisoners.

Or a $ 20 million contract for the supply of Tactical Bulletproof Vests, which UNICOR also collects in order to send to Pakistan (according to some data - the Pakistani army, according to others - to the American military in Pakistan). The UNICOR website advertises 5 different vests, in two color combinations (“are you blue or black?”)

The berries of this story are hidden in a contract under which all US military agencies, with the exception of the Ministry of Defense and the CIA, are obliged to buy goods produced by UNICOR. This is not surprising - the cost of such work tends to zero: "Prisoners receive from $ 0.23 to $ 1.15 dollars per hour, depending on their skills, education and experience."

Last year, UNICOR's income was $ 772 million, of which about 5% was the salary of workers in prisons.

UNICOR foaming at the mouth proves that this business is good and profitable, in its current form - for all. Governments and prisoners who have a chance to brighten up their time in prison doing a useful job, and training technical skills. As stated in the company's press release: “Such classes reduce the likelihood that prisoners will continue to engage in criminal activities after they are released.” Special studies were even conducted, following which the government showed the numbers: “prisoners employed in UNICOR’s work are 24% less prone to violations of the law, compared to other prisoners”.

However, as we understand, the main reason is not this: “In a situation where the number of prisoners in prisons is only growing, and conflicts erupt more often between them, our program helps to relieve tension and avoid dangerous situations, which means protecting people's lives and federal property "- insist UNICOR representatives. “Prisons that do not provide job opportunities for prisoners are dangerous prisons, and dangerous prisons are expensive prisons.”
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