Even inmate labor is pricier than imports - By STELLA M. HOPKINS, Charlotte Observer, NC
Even at top pay of $3 a day, inmates in N.C. prison sewing plants can't compete with workers in Bangladesh.
The revelation came last fall when the plants couldn't keep up with demand for inmates' size XXXX T-shirts, forcing prison officials to seek an outside supplier. The lowest quote was $1.70 each for shirts from Bangladesh. That was nearly 40 percent less than $2.76 for tees sewn by inmates, according to an Observer review this spring of purchasing documents.