Details:
At least 37 states have legalized the contracting of prison labor by private corporations that mount their operations inside state prisons. The list of such companies contains the cream of U.S. corporate society: IBM, Boeing, Motorola, Microsoft, AT&T, Wireless, Texas Instrument, Dell, Compaq, Honeywell, Hewlett-Packard, Nortel, Lucent Technologies, 3Com, Intel, Northern Telecom, TWA, Nordstrom’s, Revlon, Macy’s, Pierre Cardin, Target Stores, and many more. All of these businesses are excited about the economic boom generation by prison labor. Just between 1980 and 1994, profits went up from $392 million to $1.31 billion. Inmates in state penitentiaries generally receive the minimum wage for their work, but not all; in Colorado, they get about $2 per hour, well under the minimum.
Source:
The Prison Industry in the United States: Big Business or a New Form of Slavery?
November 6, 2012 - "Mazie Hirono Elected to U.S. Senate"
Mazie Hirono became the first Asian American woman elected to the U.S. Senate on November 6, 2012. She is also the first elected woman Senator from Hawaii, the first U.S. Senator born in Japan and the nation's first Buddhist Senator. Prior to getting elected to the U.S. Senate, Hirono served as the congresswoman from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2013. She has served on the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Committee on Environment and Public Works and Committee on Veterans' Affairs.