The Federal Government and the Prison-Labor Problem in the States. II. The Prison Industries Reorganization Administration

Abstract

Without question, federal restrictive legislation complicated the prison-labor problem in the states. The Hawes-Cooper Act of 1929, which became effective in 1934, was the first of three prison-labor acts passed by Congress in twelve years. Their cumulative effect brought to a virtual end the production of prison goods for the open market. Many prison shops were forced to shut down, which aggravated the already acute problem of prison idleness. The federal government, beginning in 1935, made a relatively weak attempt to assist the states in solving this important question through the activities of the Prison Industries Reorganization Administration (PIRA). Even though the agency was short-lived and underfinanced, an analysis of its policies and operations throws some light on the pitfalls to be avoided in the future, if the federal government again tries to aid the states in dealing with this still vexing, still unsolved, problem.2 THE BACKGROUND OF THE PIRA