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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did Federal Prison Industries go to jail? It was a chain operation.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from UNICOR)

Federal Prison Industries, Inc.
UNICOR
TypeState-owned enterprise
IndustryPenal labor
FoundedJune 23, 1934; 92 years ago (1934-06-23)[1]
Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
,
U.S.
Key people
David D. Spears, Chairman
Donald R. Elliott, Vice Chairman[2]
Revenue$531,453,000 (2019)
$61,166,000[3] (2019)
OwnerFederal Bureau of Prisons
Number of employees
10,896 (2016)
Websitewww.unicor.gov

Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (FPI), doing business as UNICOR (stylized in all lowercase) since 1977, is a corporation wholly owned by the United States government. It was created in 1934 as a prison labor program within the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Under US federal law, all physically abled inmates who are not a security risk or have a health exception are required to work, either for UNICOR or at some other prison job.[4][5] As of 2021, inmates earned between $0.23 to $1.15 per hour.[6]

As a "mandatory source" for federal departments (having priority over all other sources, including JWOD sources from blind or severely disabled persons), FPI receives priority in any purchases of its products.[7]

History

[edit]

A statute in May 1930 provided for the employment of prisoners,[8] the creation of a corporation for the purpose was authorized by a statute in June 1934,[9][10] and the Federal Prison Industries was created by executive order 6917 on 11 December 1934 by Franklin D. Roosevelt.[10][11] It officially began operations on 1 January 1935 as a wholly-owned corporation of the US Government.[12][13]

Its mandate according to the UNICOR.gov website is to, "protect society and reduce crime by preparing inmates with job training and practical work skills for reentry success."[13]

In 1977, the trade name UNICOR was adopted.[14]

In 1983, UNICOR contracted Booz-Allen & Hamilton Inc. to conduct a study to figure out the marketing needs of UNICOR and set up a marketing department. This was done to explore untapped markets and seek new products that UNICOR could produce.[14]

By the mid-1980s, UNICOR had included 47 prisons with a total amount of 32,000 inmates.[14]

In 2017, UNICOR had $483.8 million in net sales.[6] In 2024. UNICOR celebrated its 90th anniversary.[15]

Activities

[edit]

Under current law, all physically able inmates who are not a security risk or have a health exception are required to work, either for UNICOR or at some other prison job.[4][5] Inmates typically earn between US$0.23 and US$1.15 per hour,[6] and all inmates with court-ordered financial obligations must use at least 50% of this UNICOR income to satisfy those debts.[4]

Deductions are then taken for taxes, victim restitution, program costs and court-imposed legal obligations.[4] In fiscal year 2016, FPI's business were organized, managed, and internally reported as six operation segments based upon products and services. These segments are Agribusiness, Clothing and Textiles, Electronics, Office Furniture, Recycling, and Services.

Prisoners sit at sewing machines, sewing military uniforms
Prison labor in a UNICOR program producing uniforms.

UNICOR currently produces the Interceptor body armor vest, primarily for foreign sales and international customers.[16][17][18][needs update]

As of November 2025, UNICOR had 76 Active and 77 Available UNICOR locations. The active locations included fields such as: textiles, agribusiness, recycling, optics, furniture, and electronics.[13]

Criticism

[edit]

One report[19] detailed an FPI operation at a California prison in which inmates de-manufactured computer cathode-type monitors. Industry standard practice for this mandates a mechanical crushing machine to minimize danger from flying glass, with an isolated air system to avoid releasing lead, barium, and phosphor compounds to the workplace atmosphere. At the FPI facility prisoners de-manufactured CRTs with hammers. FPI initiated corrective action to address this finding, and claims to currently meet or exceed industry standards in its recycling operations.[20]

Combat helmets produced by FPI at one factory were at the center of a US Department of Justice lawsuit and $3 million settlement paid by ArmorSource, the prime contractor. The U.S. Attorney's Offices declined to criminally prosecute or file any civil action against FPI staff.[21] The helmets were produced for ArmorSource between 2008 and 2009 and failed to meet standards.[22] The recall of both helmets cost FPI $19 million. With Defense Contract Management Agency audit staff, FPI identified opportunities to improve its Quality Management System in areas including improved management staff oversight, proper control of quality procedures, training, and implementation of corrective action. FPI implemented new procedures to address these areas.[23]

Leadership

[edit]

FPI is governed by a six-man Board of Directors, all of whom are appointed by POTUS and who are supposed to represent, "Industry, Retailers and Consumers, Agriculture, the Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General."[24] The members of the Board serve without compensation.[25] The following is a list of the leadership of FPI as of January 2026:[24]

  • William K. Marshall III, FPI Commissioner and Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons
  • Todd A. Plimpton, Chief Executive Officer & Corporate Secretary
  • David D. Spears, Chairman of the Board of Directors
  • Donald R. Elliott, Vice Chair of the Board
  • Jolene Ann Lauria, member of the Board of Directors
  • Lee Lofthus, member of the Board of Directors
  • Monty Wilkinson, member of the Board of Directors
  • By law there should be a sixth member of the board, but it is currently vacant.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "UNICOR - FAQs: General". Unicor.gov. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  2. ↑ "UNICOR - Board of Directors". Unicor.gov. Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  3. ↑ "FEDERAL PRISON INDUSTRIES, INC. : Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Management Report" (PDF). Unicor.gov. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Federal Prison Industries RL32380 (PDF), Congressional Research Service, July 13, 2007
  5. 1 2 Title XXIX, §2905 of the Crime Control Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-647) required that all offenders in federal prisons must work (the act permitted limitations to this rule on security and health-related grounds).
  6. 1 2 3 "BOP: UNICOR". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  7. ↑ Kim, Whizy. "White Supremacists Attacked The Capitol. Now, Prison Labor Will Clean Up The Mess". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  8. ↑ Pub. L. 71–271, 46 Stat. 391, enacted May 27, 1930
  9. ↑ Pub. L. 73–461, 48 Stat. 1211, enacted June 23, 1934
  10. 1 2 "Federal Prison Industries: Background, Debate, Legislative History, and Policy Options" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. May 11, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Executive Order 6917—Creating a Body Corporate to be Known as Federal Prison Industries, Inc. | The American Presidency Project". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  12. ↑ "UNICOR's 90 Years of Impact". www.bop.gov. June 20, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 "About UNICOR". www.unicor.gov. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 "Federal Prison Industries, Inc. | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  15. ↑ "UNICOR's 90 Years of Impact". www.bop.gov. June 20, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  16. ↑ GovTribe. "Department of the Army W91CRB08D0045-0015 To Unicor $42.5k". govtribe.com.
  17. ↑ GovTribe. "Department of the Army W91CRB08D0045 To Unicor $265.8m". govtribe.com.
  18. ↑ Award of Interceptor OTVs federalcompass.com, 29-Sept-2008
  19. ↑ "A Review of Federal Prison Industries Electronic-Waste Recycling Program" (PDF). US Department of Justice. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  20. ↑ "A Review of Federal Prison Industries Electronic-Waste Recycling Program, Attachments 4 and 5, pages 421-426" (PDF). US Department of Justice. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  21. ↑ "DEFENSE CONTRACTOR ARMORSOURCE LLC AGREES TO PAY $3 MILLION TO SETTLE FALSE CLAIMS ACT ALLEGATIONS, page 7" (PDF). US Department of Justice. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Investigative Summary Findings of Fraud and Other Irregularities Related to the Manufacture and Sale of Combat Helmets by the Federal Prison Industries and ArmorSource, LLC, to the Department of Defense, page 2" (PDF). US Department of Justice. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  23. ↑ Steele, Tom (August 30, 2016). "Inmates at Texas prison produced faulty helmets for military, costing government $19M". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  24. 1 2 "BOP: UNICOR". www.bop.gov. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  25. ↑ "18 U.S. Code § 4121 - Federal Prison Industries; board of directors". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
[edit]
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Federal Prison Industries at Wikimedia Commons
  • UNICOR Federal Prison Industries
  • Federal Prison Industries in the Federal Register
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