Prisoners Acquiring Employment and Life Skills at Leavenworth Electronics Recycling Factory

Prisoners Acquiring Employment and Life Skills at Leavenworth Electronics Recycling Factory

Leavenworth electronics recycling factory, a 38,000­square­foot warehouse about a mile off Kansas 7, is touted as one of the most successful operations of its kind. But what’s special about this factory is that its 134 khaki­clad workers are inmates of Leavenworth federal minimum­security prison. Though they earn just $1.15 an hour, this factory is now giving these workers more than just job skills – they are acquiring useful experience in various types of work that will help them get employment when they re­enter society.

Work at the factory includes stripping reusable parts off old computers, printers and fax machines for recycling. The material is sorted, bundled, stacked on pallets and sold to willing buyers, rather than being used for landfills.

This Leavenworth recycling factory venture is one the oldest programs in the federal corrections system and participation is voluntary. In addition to providing the prison’s inmates with real job skills, working here gives them a sense of responsibility as well the confidence that they will find employment after they serve their term.

Professional Skills for Data Entry According to a report published in The Seattle Times, one of the prisoners, Ryan Meckenstock, who is finishing a 10­year sentence for an identity­theft conviction,

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has been doing data entry work for the last five years. As an experienced data entry operator, Meckenstock would have acquired many skills: Computer Skills: Efficient data entry professionals would have strong computer skills and good knowledge of Microsoft office tools like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. They have an eye for detail, are proficient in using the Internet, and can perform data entry and forms processing accurately and in quick turnaround.

Document Management Skills: Organizational skills are necessary to manage or classify information in computer systems. They may have to compile, check and sort the data based on priorities to prepare the raw data for computer entry.

The data would have to be reviewed for deficiencies or errors and incompatibilities corrected if possible. The right data program techniques and procedures would have to be applied. Data entry specialists need to know how to set up an efficient document management system which will allow easy access to the stored documents. They would also have to know how to generate reports and perform backup operations

Communicate Effectively: Apart from professional skills, data entry professionals should have effective communication skills to interact with co­ workers. Strong verbal skills are necessary to communicate information in precise and understandable manner.

Multi­tasking skills: Data entry professionals should have multi­tasking skills to handle various tasks simultaneously.

Leavenworth Electronics Recycling Factory Highlights

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One study showed that the Leavenworth factory stood second in terms of profit among the nation’s seven federal electronics­recycling factories.

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When measured against sales, the Leavenworth factory’s employment figures are far better than those of a Pennsylvania prison­recycling center, which has the highest profit margin in the system.

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Studies show that between 2009 and 2011, the Leavenworth recycling factory returned a huge profit of 33 percent to Unicor, the government enterprise that operates all federal prison industries. Since then, its profit margin has grown to 52 percent.

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Unicor employs almost 32 percent of the 420 inmates at the federal minimum­security camp in the recycling factory.

The Leavenworth Electronics Recycling Factory is setting an example by making an important contribution to society. Acquiring employable skills is helping to reduce recidivism and enabling prisoners to enjoy a productive life when they return.

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