‘CNMI govt pays more for prisoners than on many employees’ wages’

The CNMI government spends an average of $32,485 annually for housing and feeding an inmate, much more than it spends on the salary of the lowest-paid employees of $10,000 to $14,000 a year who also have to deal with a 16-hour pay cut biweekly because of austerity measures.

“It is disappointing to know that we pay more for inmates than we do pay many of our employees. We still have employees earning $10,000 a year,” Rep. Joseph Palacios (R-Saipan) told Saipan Tribune, as he talked about the purpose of his pre-filed bill that seeks to create the CNMI Prison Industries Act of 2012.

His bill seeks to teach inmates valuable job training and skills development—be it on carpentry, auto-mechanics, computer repair, or cooking—that will give then a foundation for success as they transition back to communities from which they came from.

Palacios said rather than costing CNMI taxpayers an average of $32,485 per inmate per year for housing, his bill recommends implementing a prison industries program so that these inmates—once they are released from prison—would have valuable skills they can use to become productive members of the community.

The annual average spending of $32,485 for each inmate excludes medical expenses, said Palacios, citing figures from the Department of Corrections.

Such a proposed prison industry would provide a means for inmates to receive job training and skills development, provide opportunities for the earning of wages to be used to pay restitution to victims of crime, payment of fines and court costs, and provide additional means for funding recurring expenses of the Department of Corrections/Department of Public Safety.

The department shall separate and designate each prison industry to be established as occurring “within the secured perimeter” or “outside the secured perimeter.”

“Prison industries in the United States have proven that many of their graduates become law-abiding and taxpaying citizens instead of being a lifelong drain on their states’ coffers,” Palacios said in his House Bill 17-285.

Palacios said the CNMI’s prison population continues to grow “mainly because our recidivism rates are high.”

“Many of our former inmates return to prison,” he added.

Ramon B. Camacho, chairman of the CNMI Board of Parole, said he is strongly supporting and endorsing Palacios’ bill.

He said the proposed prison industry, which provides programs for inmates, is “very important to the parole system.”

Camacho also made recommendations on how the bill could be improved, including fund collection to be able to hire a counselor for one-on-one sessions with inmates to address any psychological issues they may have so that they “do the right thing and not return to the (prison) system.”

The Board of Parole chair also suggested that funds should be closely monitored by an advisory board to ensure they are used for their intended purpose.

“Products manufactured by inmates should replicate our culture and of interest to the community as well as to our tourist visitors. DOC should market finished products at gift shops and other festivities to promote what the inmates are making within the correctional facility,” Camacho said.

Under the bill, a Correctional Advisory Board will be established to advise Corrections/DPS on the suitability of any industry to be established, and may assist the department on related matters including the establishment, operation and maintenance of a chosen industry.

The bill also establishes earnings formula, so that each inmate participating in a prison industry shall have all wages earned subject to this earnings formula, including using 25 percent for transporting inmates to and from work sites and 25 percent for payment of court-ordered fines, fees and restitution.

Another 25 percent will go toward a Prison Industries Revolving Fund, and the remaining 25 percent will go toward each inmate’s account. Each participating inmate may elect to provide up to 100 percent of the 25 percent for child and spousal support.

“In lieu of wages earned, the participating inmate’s sentence shall be reduced by one day for each 40 hours of work done,” the bill says.

There will be criteria set to determine inmates’ eligibility to participate in the program.