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Civilian Inmate Labor

The Army has established civilian inmate labor programs on twelve installations since FY 89. Four
resident programs (prison camps) are at Fort Bliss, Fort Dix, and Camp Atterbury. Eight non-resident
(off-post) programs are at Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, Red River Army Depot, Fort Lee,
Fort McClellan, Fort Stewart, Fort McPherson, Fort Indian Town Gap, and Anniston Army Depot.
Fort Dix has two resident programs (prison camps) using civilian inmates from both federal and state
penal systems. Camp Atterbury's resident program uses state civilian inmates. These ten programs
average an annual net cost avoidance ranging from $263,000 to $3,500,000.

Inmate labor does not interfere with the installation's operation and mission. Civilian inmates provide
a source of labor to Army installations to accomplish needed tasks that would not otherwise be
possible under current manning and funding constraints. Inmate labor is intended to augment the
Army's civilian and military work force and contractor effort. Inmate labor does not displace an
existing in-house or contractor work force. The Army does not pay direct labor costs for inmate labor
but does incur equipment, materials, supplies, transportation, and program administration costs to use
inmate labor.

Services provided by inmates are defined by 18 USC 4125(a) and include preservation and
maintenance of grounds and facilities; construction, repair and demolition of buildings; road repair;
custodial services; and transportation of debris to recycling centers. Only minimum security inmates
are available under the Army's civilian inmate labor program. Army personnel do not provide
security supervision of inmate work details, but do monitor and account for inmate presence or
absence in an assigned work area.

Installation inmate labor programs are established via a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between
the installation and the local correctional facility. The installation also develops an inmate labor plan
governing operation of inmate labor details on the installation. The MOA and inmate labor plan are
forwarded through command channels to HQDA for approval.

OACSIM manages the civilian inmate labor program and is finishing a regulation covering policy
and procedures for civilian inmate labor.

Army's use of inmate labor is now limited to federal civilian inmates. No federal statute allows
military installations to accept inmate labor from off-post state and local correctional facilities.
Numerous installations wish to use civilian inmates from state or local correctional facilities off-post.
A DOD Services working is drafting a legislative proposal to gain support from labor unions, the
Department of Labor and the State Department before presenting the revised proposal to
Congressional staffers.

Section 1065 of the FY 95 Defense Authorization Act allows the Army to conduct a demonstration
project until October 1996. This demonstration project tests the feasibility of using Army facilities to
provide employment training to nonviolent offenders in a State penal system before their release
from incarceration. The Army has selected Forts Bragg, Hood, and Campbell as test sites. Functions
performed by state civilian inmates will be similar to those performed by federal civilian inmates.
State civilian inmate use will be governed by the same policy applied to federal civilian inmates.
Such policy covers supervision, non-DOD employee interference in inmate labor details, type of

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inmates allowed on inmate labor details, and use of facilities and land. Each test site is negotiating an
MOA and inmate labor plan with their respective correctional facility.

Overall, commanders with civilian inmate labor programs have been pleased with civilian inmate
labor results. The Federal Bureau of Prisons in particular is a cooperative partner and active
participant in the commander's base operations support mission.

For more information, contact Ms. Yvonne Wildanger, Plans & Operations Division, OACSIM.

http://www.hqda.army.mil/acsim/ops/inmatebg.htm 11/20/2002