Some Prisoners In Maine Are Making Over $60K A Year Working Remotely From Prison
It's a great way for prisoners to earn a living, but some think it's unfair.
Sora Shimazaki | Pexels Going to prison is understandably viewed pretty negatively by society. Some inmates do go through a period of transformation and reformation, which is certainly a productive way to spend time.
But more and more frequently, prisoners are taking on jobs, and it’s not just things within the prison walls. In Maine, a program allows inmates to apply for remote jobs, and there have been multiple success stories, with prisoners making salaries over $60,000 in some cases.
Preston Thorpe is just one of those prisoners who says he got his dream job working remotely.
Susan Sharon detailed the Maine program for both NPR and Maine Public Radio. She shared Thorpe’s story, and he could honestly be the poster child for prisoners working remotely. Thorpe, who is now 32, began getting into trouble with drugs as a teen. He has been in prison for over a decade.
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Thorpe also has a knack for technology. When he was 13, he built his first computer. Naturally, those skills lend themselves well to being a senior software engineer, a job that comes with a salary that exceeds six figures. But, since Thorpe is in prison, he shouldn’t be able to work as a software engineer, right? Wrong. He does it all from his prison cell and was recently able to buy a house.
“You know, I was worried and pretty hopeless that I had messed my life up so bad that it was no longer possible to have, like, a normal life and normal career,” he said. “Now I feel like my life has purpose.”
Officials believe the opportunity will help inmates integrate back into society more smoothly.
It’s no secret that individuals with criminal records face significant challenges in finding employment. Few people want to hire a convict.
Randall Liberty, the Maine Corrections Commissioner, thinks allowing prisoners to work remotely will quite literally change their lives. “If it provides meaningful employment for them, it’s really important that we allow that access, and it also allows for a smooth transition back into the community,” he said.
Of course, prisoners are humans with rights regardless of where they reside and whether they’ve been released. One could make the argument that they deserve to have the chance to work, even while incarcerated. According to Yale University, the Federal Bureau of Prisons reported that prisoners made around 12 to 40 cents an hour for working jobs around the prison. Even for a prisoner, that’s not exactly a fair wage.
Some people have their concerns.
Concern does remain among some who believe that these prisoners are taking jobs and money away from law-abiding citizens who need to keep up with the rising cost of living.
The story made its way onto Reddit, where commenters had plenty to say about the remote work initiative. “Imagine having to go to prison to get a decent remote gig,” one person lamented. “Great, so now we gotta compete for jobs against people with free room and board?” another questioned incredulously.
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The job market truly is a mess right now. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that it takes a little over six months for someone who is unemployed to find a new job. Unfortunately, the numbers are much worse for some people.
Additionally, remote jobs are getting harder and harder to find. As the government leads the way in enforcing return-to-office mandates for remote workers, there are fewer remote jobs on the market, and more competition for the ones that do exist.
It’s completely understandable that people would have a hard time wrapping their heads around why prisoners can try their hand at landing a remote job when it feels almost impossible for someone to do so outside of prison. They’re the ones who are paying bills, after all — and paying the taxes that go towards taking care of the prisoners.
But it's also important to remember the other side of the coin. Inmates with an income have a better shot at staying out of the system. They have a better shot of remaining gainfully employed. They basically have an opportunity to succeed. Doesn't everyone deserve that?
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
