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The History of UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries)

Building Brighter Futures

Prison industries work programs have grown from deeply-seeded roots which have withstood the challenges of time. From the late 1700s, spanning the Civil War, Great Depression, World War II and other major conflicts, and despite periods of criticism from detractors, increasingly constrictive procurement laws, misinformation and stigma associated with the value of inmate-made goods, prison industry work programs have endured.