Once upon a time There was a Governor who experimented with various forms of incarceration. He tried "Boot Camps" but the recidivism rate was too high. It turned out to be a waste of money so the "Boot Camps" had to be closed. 73 Employees lost their jobs when the Greene County Correctional Boot Camp closed.The New Governor made a campaign promise to reopen the Boot Camp as a Work Camp for "Nonviolent offenders". Everyone cheered when they heard about the 73 new jobs opening in the area.
Unfortunately, 200 more good paying jobs were lost when they were replaced by prison labor that paid only $5.00 a day. That's right. Five Dollars Per Day.
At a cost of $5 million a year, the 200 jobs may pay a total of $365,000 for labor, and the rest, well, figure it out however you like.
Need a job? Go to Jail. Prison Boot Camps closed by Governor Ryan are now being reopened by Governor Blagojevich as Gulags, or more formally known as "Illinois Department of Corrections Work Camps."1
Illinois State Journal Register, 1/1/2004The End