- Many years i've wondered on this road of sin movie#
- Many years i've wondered on this road of sin drivers#
- Many years i've wondered on this road of sin free#
On a break from his work and away from the noise of the plant, inmate Stephon Goode talked about what kind of job he might get on the outside with his new skills, and what it would be like to drive by a sign he made. But prison labor remains controversial for paying low wages and potentially crowding out private companies that have to offer free-market salaries. Research shows vocational training like prisoners get here makes them more likely to find work and less likely to fall back into crime. There’s pride in creating these signs, but little money. “Making these signs lets other people know which way to go so they won’t get lost.” “It makes me proud,” inmate Odell Blue said. When they imagine what it would be like to actually see their creations out there, they often talk about wanting to take their grandkids to see signs they made. Like that train whistle Johnny Cash sang about, the road signs remind inmates of the world beyond the walls. Its leaders are quick to point out that it operates without taxpayer money, funding its budget by selling its products. With more than $95 million in annual sales and thousands of inmates at work, it’s one of the largest state prison-labor operations in America.
Many years i've wondered on this road of sin free#
“They want a job, and they’ve been infraction free in order to achieve the job,” said Phil Rowe, a civilian who oversees this plant and other facilities for Correction Enterprises, North Carolina’s prison labor agency. The jobs are in demand, so standards are high. And they also need a perfectly clean record for at least six months. Many inmates have violent pasts, but the men here have had enough of a track record of good behavior to have moved from maximum to medium security. But there’s little tension on the plant floor, even as inmates work under the supervision of state employees in close quarters.
And some of the inmates are convicted murderers. Those are tools, but could also be deadly weapons.
Many years i've wondered on this road of sin drivers#
The sign passes, meaning it will be shipped out and soon directing drivers seeking I-40 East to Greensboro.Īnother striking thing about the plant is what prisoners work with, including sharp utility knives and power tools. Reflectivity is crucial, so motorists can read the sign in all weather conditions, day or night. A worker shines a spotlight and peers carefully, checking for errors, damage or defects. On a recent visit, a crane hoisted an exit sign high in the air for inspection.
Many years i've wondered on this road of sin movie#
The Interstate signs are simply gigantic, like movie screens. They don’t look quite so huge from a driver’s seat. The first thing many visitors notice is just how big the signs actually are. In one area, an inmate feeds a square piece of metal through a heavy-duty machine, chopping each corner to form the familiar octagonal shape of a stop sign. Inside, the space is a hub of different activities. Accessing it requires clearing several layers of fences topped with coiled razor wire, surrendering mobile phones, keys and more, all within sight of numerous no-nonsense guards on patrol and posted in a watchtower. One of the largest sign manufacturing plants is at Franklin Correctional Center, a medium-security prison east of Raleigh, North Carolina. Many of America’s highway signs are made by inmates. The answer varies a bit from state to state, but in many cases, all roads lead to prison. Few give much thought to where the signs come from, but Marketplace listeners Krisha Chiu of Snoqualmie, Washington, and Kellen McGuire of Los Angeles did. American drivers pass any number of road signs on their way home, pointing them in the right direction and warning them when to beware.