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Dave Speaks | NY's New License Plates Will Still Be Made By Prisoners Earning 65 Cents An Hour

Dave Speaks | NY's New License Plates Will Still Be Made By Prisoners Earning 65 Cents An Hour

Next spring, New York State is issuing new license plates, and New Yorkers can now cast their vote for the new design. "License plates are a symbol of who we are as a state and New Yorkers should have a voice and a vote in its final design," Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a release. But the new license plates will still be produced by people incarcerated by the state, who earn an average wage of 65 cents an hour.

Roughly 2,100 prisoners work for Corcraft, which is "the β€˜brand name’ for the Division of Correctional Industries,” operated by the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS). The prisoners make a variety of products, from hand soap dispensers to desks to pillows, and generate around $50 million in annual sales, mostly to local governments. The revenue goes to the state general fund.