Prison Jobs — Ask the Inmate
Work assignments inside correctional facilities are one of the most important aspects of daily life that most people on the outside never think about. The right job assignment means structure, additional good time credits at some facilities, access to certain areas of the institution, and in some cases, meaningful skills development. The wrong assignment, or no assignment at all, means more idle time and fewer opportunities. This section covers how work assignments are made, which jobs are most valuable from a good time and daily life perspective, how kitchen work specifically generates additional credits at some facilities, what vocational training programs are available through prison employment, and how to request a specific work assignment or transfer from one assignment to another. The guidance here comes from people who understand from the inside how work assignments shape the incarceration experience. See also our sections on Education and Vocational Training, Sentence Reduction, and Commissary.
In general, all inmates must have a job. There are very rare occasions where inmates get off not working. Prison is like a community. The services that make a community run have to be maintained by inmates. There is food service, landscaping maintenance, sanitation and garbage, cleaning of the living quarters, laundry, recreation, education, health and commissary are all areas where labor is needed. This is all done by the inmates and supervised by the corrections officers. After the jobs
Read moreAll inmates have to have a job. The prisons work like a little community where the inmates work to make the operation and living conditions civilized. The prisons pay the most nominal of wages. For instance, the federal system has a pay scale commiserate with the type of work and the length of time in their job. Pay starts at $0.12/hour and tops out at $0.40/hour. They are paid monthly and it is deposited into the Inmate Trust Account for
Read moreA prison functions like a small self-contained city, and the jobs that keep it running are filled almost entirely by the inmates who live there. Kitchen detail is one of the most common assignments, covering everything from food preparation to serving to cleanup. It is also one of the more sought-after jobs at facilities that offer good time credit for it, since the work is consistent and the access to food has obvious appeal. Landscaping and grounds maintenance
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