18 U.S.C. § 4122 Administration of Federal Prison Industries

• Library: United States Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current through P.L. 118-34 (published on www.congress.gov on 12/26/2023), except for [P. L. 118-31]
• Year: 2023
• Citation: 18 U.S.C. § 4122

(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