Rep. Troy Hendrickk proposes classifying incarcerated Vermonters as temporary state employees

Representative Troy Hendrickk told the General & Housing Committee on March 11 that H919 would "classify any incarcerated individual who performs labor for, at the direction of, or under the supervision of [the] Vermont Department of Corrections as a temporary state employee." He said the intent is to recognize that incarcerated people perform work that would otherwise be done by state employees and to open the door to fairer pay and savings mechanisms.

Hendrickk said incarcerated Vermont residents currently earn between $0.25 and $1.20 per hour, with an average of roughly $0.65 an hour. He highlighted examples to illustrate the burden of privatized telecommunications: at those wages a 15-minute phone call can amount to the equivalent of 40 minutes of labor, a 30-minute video call can exceed seven hours of labor, and regular messaging can consume multiple labor…