Corcraft

Corcraft Logo

Corcraft is the brand name for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Correctional Industries program which creates government and consumer products through the use of prison labor. As of 2024, Corcraft operates in 27 prisons and jails throughout New York State, with over 1,000 incarcerated workers and over 200 civilian employees.

Only state and municipal agencies are eligible to purchase products from Corcraft, as well as a small number of non-profit organizations. ^[1]

History

The Correctional Industries program began at Auburn Prison in Auburn, New York in 1823 to serve internal prison needs. ^[2] Correctional Industries quickly began to contract workers with private businesses throughout the state, until state legislation outlawed the practice in the late 1880s. In 1896, a provision in the state constitution created the current arrangement used by Corcraft, allowing for State-use of prison labor goods. ^[3] Incarcereted people at Auburn prison continue to produce all license plates for New York State.

Correctional Industries rebranding as Corcraft dates to at least 1972. ^[4] Since spreading throughout the state, Corcraft produces a wide variety of products including clothing, furniture, and toiletries. Corcraft also contracts labor directly to other New York state agencies, including the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. ^[5] A state comptroller’s report issued in 1997 found that Corcraft operated had been operating at a loss for the previous seven years. ^{[6] [7]}

Use of prison labor

Incarcerated workers employed by Corcraft typically earn between $0.10 and $0.33 per hour, substantially below the mandated federal minimum wage. The state is able to avoid paying prisoners the minimum wage as a result of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which allows for slavery or indentured servitude as a criminal punishment. ^[8]

In 2020, during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Governor Andrew Cuomo directed Corcraft to produce state-branded hand sanitizer. The prodigious amount of hand sanitizer produced that was ultimately unused attracted attention to the use of prison labor throughout New York State and the United States, and prompted calls for reform. ^{[9] [10]}

References

1. "Who We Sell To". Corcraft. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
2. Martuscello III, Daniel F. (February 12, 2024). "Testimony of Daniel F. Martuscello III, Acting Commissioner" (PDF). New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Senate Hearing on Correctional Industries (Corcraft).
3. "PROVIDING FOR PRISON LABOR.; A Bill Drawn to Meet the Requirements of the New Constitution". The New York Times. 1896-02-21. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-07-26.
4. Montgomery, Paul L. (1972-09-12). "Attica Prisoners Have Gained Most Points Made in Rebellion" . Retrieved 2025-07-28.
5. Montgomery, Charles (November 22, 1989). "Prisoners provide cheapest labor of all". The Guardian. 42 (5): 7.
6. McCall, Comptroller, H. Carl (July 24, 1997). "Department of Correctional Services Industries Program Report 96-S-24" (PDF). State of New York Office of the State Comptroller Division of Management Audit: 6.
7. Bernstein, Lee (2019). "The Sing Sing Revolt: The Incarceration Crisis and Criminal Justice Liberalism in the 1980s". New York History. 100 (1): 1–27. ISSN   0146-437X. JSTOR   48741027.
8. Santiago, Amanda Luz Henning (2020-03-10). "How New York uses prison labor". City & State NY. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
9. Bates, Josiah (2020-03-09). "New York Is Using Prison Labor to Make Hand Sanitizer". TIME. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
10. Lacy, Akela (2022-12-12). "Incarcerated People Forced to Do Dangerous Work for "Slave" Wages at Height of Pandemic". The Intercept. Retrieved 2025-07-26.