Payment change upsets prisoners

Lieber inmates on lockdown to avoid unrest, official says

Most people gripe about how much money the government takes out of their paychecks, but very few of them end up in maximum security lockdown for it.

An entire dormitory at Lieber Correctional Institution in Ridgeville has been confined to their cells since Tuesday after the inmates learned that, because of a new state law, their take-home — or take-cell — pay is going to be about 10 percent of the 35 cents to $1.05 an hour that they earn working in the prison industries program.

"We got word through some of the prisoners that people were not happy about the changes," Department of Corrections spokesman Josh Gelinas said Wednesday. "Rather than face unrest, they took this action."

The change is a result of a new law to help the Department of Corrections contract its inmate labor to some private businesses. While lawmakers were working on the pertinent section of code, they changed some of the withholding for inmates.

Previously, between 20 percent and 30 percent of inmates' money was taken to pay restitution to their victims, any child support they owed, and room and board. Now, under the new law, between 45 percent and 55 percent of an inmate's salary is going into these programs.

The law also requires inmates who don't owe anyone restitution to pay 20 percent into the South Carolina Victim's Compensation Fund anyway.

And now, 10 percent of inmates' pay goes into an escrow account that they get when they are paroled.

At Lieber, some of the 200 prisoners in the industries program re-tread tires for a company; others rebuild car transmissions. But they apparently got word of the changes after Tony Ellis, the Corrections Department's head of the prison industries program, visited Lieber and explained the program to staff on Monday.

By Tuesday, when staff explained the changes to inmates, the rumor mill was already in full swing. They asked questions; they seemed unhappy.

Guards received word that some inmates were quite upset, which prompted the lockdown.

On Wednesday, Ellis returned to Lieber and explained the changes to the inmates in person. They were offered papers to sign saying they agreed to keep working; 137 signed, another 52 have not. The whole lot was sent back to their cells, where they are not allowed outside for exercise or pretty much anything else.

Sen. Michael Fair, R-Greenville, said the purpose of his bill was to give the Corrections Department the ability to deal with private businesses hoping to contract cheap prison labor — the state gets paid for the use of inmate labor, and the prisoners get paid from someone other than state coffers.

Fair said the program does not take away jobs from the general public because, if not for cheap prisoner labor, these jobs would go overseas.

"It's all about recruiting industry, and it gives the inmates something to do, and makes them productive," Fair said. "It doesn't sound like they're being very productive down there."

With most of the inmates resigned to the new withholding amounts, Corrections officials expect the lockdown to end at some point soon, but they aren't sure exactly when.

"They're still trying to determine whether they will go back to a regular work schedule on Thursday (today)," Gelinas said.

Reach Brian Hicks at 937-5561 or bhicks@postandcourier.com.