CONVICT LABOR MASSACHUSETTS STYLE: Department of Correction Relies on Mass Corr For Prison Industry

By Charles N. Diorio INMATEAUTHORPROJECT.ORG twitter @prisonauthor & @authorcdiorio on all platforms

MassCorr is the prison industry here in Massachusetts correction facilities. Most people immediately think of prisoners making license plates, this is just one small, but important, aspect of the multilayered jobs offered to incarcerated individuals behind bars. Convict labor flourishes and represents millions of dollars to the budget of the Massachusetts DOC.

North Central Correction Institution offer's an ''Optical Program'' where inmates grind and manufacture eyeglasses for both prisoners and state facilities, like the Bridgewater State Hospital and Lemuel Shattuck hospital for the poor; MCI-Concord offers a woodworking shop that makes picnic tables for state parks and various recreation centers across the Commonwealth; MCI-Norfolk has an extensive industry giving incarcerated individuals skills in areas like electrical and metal works.

On one cool day I was ordered to a single-story building in MCI-Concord that's home to the woodworking industry. About nine of us were interviewed. MassCorr was contracted by the state to build about one hundred-sixty picnic tables.

In a matter of minutes, men with little experience were cutting wood on electric saws, painting wood pieces, and assembling tables. I was assigned to paint and stain pieces of wood prior to assembly. Soon, pallets of wooden parts filled the shop. A shop that was professionally appointed and could fit into any industrial park anywhere in the nation.

A civilian instructor keeps a careful eye on about ten men. MassCorr supervisors are seasoned professionals. A journeyman instructor teaches basic carpentry, safety, painting, and the use of tools. I came to MassCorr with no experience, but after just a couple of weeks, I learned enough to work in a wood shop practically anywhere. The secret to woodworking is measuring, mathematics, and an eye for detail. Measure twice, cut once is all true. 

Work is hard. Hard labor. This is the promise of prison life. The alternative is grim idleness. Wasting away in a small cell or the tedious routine of recreation. My starting salary in MassCorr is ¢.70 cents an hour. We work 30 hours a week with plenty of opportunity for overtime at a time-and-a-half. There are no complaints.

The instructor spends his day wrestling with hundreds of decisions while taking time out for instruction, encouragement, and problem-solving. Meals are delivered directly to the shop.

Because work is done in prison, windows are closed, and ventilation is a problem. Giant fans blow sawdust and fumes from paint and stain throughout the prefab workspace. The industry of convict labor is unrelenting. Inmates take no breaks and chow is eaten fast and on the run.

MCI-Concord is now in the process of closing. An old clink, it has reached the last days of its usefulness. Originally built as a reception center, it has become home to several Special Administration Units, or SAU. College programs are gone, and the industry is closing. SAU is a kind of administrative purgatory where men with disciplinary drug or violence issues go for behavior modification therapy. 

Several Massachusetts prisons are facing closure. MCI-Cedar-Junction, home to the license plate industry, is shuttered and soon Concord will close. Most industry is found in MCI-Norfolk, once a model institution, but less so today as times are changing. North Central Correction Institution in Gardner continues to be home to a vibrant optical program. The woodshop in MCI-Concord has since closed. End

Charles N. Diorio W103769 SBCC P.O. Box 8000 Shirley, MA 01440 on all Social Media @authorcdiorio. Inmateauthorproject.org