Administration of Federal Prison Industries

18 U.S.C. § 4122
in effect
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(a) Federal Prison Industries shall determine in what manner and to what extent industrial operations shall be carried on in Federal penal and correctional institutions for the production of commodities for consumption in such institutions or for sale to the departments or agencies of the United States, but not for sale to the public in competition with private enterprise. (b)(1) Its board of directors shall provide employment for the greatest number of those inmates in the United States penal and correctional institutions who are eligible to work as is reasonably possible, diversify, so far as practicable, prison industrial operations and so operate the prison shops that no single private industry shall be forced to bear an undue burden of competition from the products of the prison workshops, and to reduce to a minimum competition with private industry or free labor. (2) Federal Prison Industries shall conduct its operations so as to produce products on an economic basis, but shall avoid capturing more than a reasonable share of the market among Federal departments, agencies, and institutions for any specific product. Federal Prison Industries shall concentrate on providing to the Federal Government only those products which permit employment of the greatest number of those inmates who are eligible to work as is reasonably possible. (3) Federal Prison Industries shall diversify its products so that its sales are distributed among its industries as broadly as possible. (4) Any decision by Federal Prison Industries to produce a new product or to significantly expand the production of an existing product shall be made by the board of directors of the corporation. Before the board of directors makes a final decision, the corporation shall do the following:(A) The corporation shall prepare a detailed written analysis of the probable impact on industry and free labor of the plans for new production or expanded production. In such written analysis the corporation shall, at a minimum, identify and consider—(i) the number of vendors currently meeting the requirements of the Federal Government for the product; (ii) the proportion of the Federal Government market for the product currently served by small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, or businesses operating in labor surplus areas; (iii) the size of the Federal Government and non-Federal Government markets for the product; (iv) the projected growth in the Federal Government demand for the product; and (v) the projected ability of the Federal Government market to sustain both Federal Prison Industries and private vendors. (B) The corporation shall announce in a publication designed to most effectively provide notice to potentially affected private vendors the plans to produce any new product or to significantly expand production of an existing product. The announcement shall also indicate that the analysis prepared under subparagraph (A) is available through the corporation and shall invite comments from private industry regarding the new production or expanded production. (C) The corporation shall directly advise those affected trade associations that the corporation can reasonably identify the plans for new production or expanded production, and the corporation shall invite such trade associations to submit comments on those plans. (D) The corporation shall provide to the board of directors—(i) the analysis prepared under subparagraph (A) on the proposal to produce a new product or to significantly expand the production of an existing product, (ii) comments submitted to the corporation on the proposal, and (iii) the corporation’s recommendations for action on the proposal in light of such comments. In addition, the board of directors, before making a final decision under this paragraph on a proposal, shall, upon the request of an established trade association or other interested representatives of private industry, provide a reasonable opportunity to such trade association or other representatives to present comments directly to the board of directors on the proposal. (5) Federal Prison Industries shall publish in the manner specified in paragraph (4)(B) the final decision of the board with respect to the production of a new product or the significant expansion of the production of an existing product. (6) Federal Prison Industries shall publish, after the end of each 6-month period, a list of sales by the corporation for that 6-month period. Such list shall be made available to all interested parties. (c) Its board of directors may provide for the vocational training of qualified inmates without regard to their industrial or other assignments. (d)(1) The provisions of this chapter shall apply to the industrial employment and training of prisoners convicted by general courts-martial and confined in any institution under the jurisdiction of any department or agency comprising the Department of Defense, to the extent and under terms and conditions agreed upon by the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General and the Board of Directors of Federal Prison Industries. (2) Any department or agency of the Department of Defense may, without exchange of funds, transfer to Federal Prison Industries any property or equipment suitable for use in performing the functions and duties covered by agreement entered into under paragraph (1) of this subsection. (e)(1) The provisions of this chapter shall apply to the industrial employment and training of prisoners confined in any penal or correctional institution under the direction of the Commissioner of the District of Columbia to the extent and under terms and conditions agreed upon by the Commissioner, the Attorney General, and the Board of Directors of Federal Prison Industries. (2) The Commissioner of the District of Columbia may, without exchange of funds, transfer to the Federal Prison Industries any property or equipment suitable for use in performing the functions and duties covered by an agreement entered into under subsection (e)(1) of this section. (3) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to affect the provisions of the Act approved October 3, 1964 (D.C. Code, sections 24–451 et seq.), entitled “An Act to establish in the Treasury a correctional industries fund for the government of the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.”

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