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  About CAPS


The Campaign Against Prison Slavery (CAPS) was formed in 2002 by ex-prisoners, prisoner support groups and activists to campaign against compulsory labour in UK prisons and for the abolition of the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme (IEP).

Compulsory labour is a feature of most prison systems a round the world, whether it be forced hard labour as punishment, direct 'reparation' for the costs of imprisonment, prison jobs such as kitchen or cleaning work that keep administration costs down or workshop jobs where prisoners manufacture the cell doors and prison bars for the jails that house them.

However, the modern prison has also developed into a system for generating capital from a section of society that up until now has largely been held to have no intrinsic labour value, the marginalised elements that tend to be trapped on a roundabout of regular incarceration, never to hold down a 'proper' job or become a 'productive member of society'. Thus we now also have in the modern prison system the prisoners who are used to create capital for private sector companies, either through labour in prison workshops manufacturing and packing goods for these companies or those prisoners handed over wholesale to the global outsourcing and security companies that run the private prisons, to do with as they wish, often 'sub-contracting' them out to third party companies.


From Article 2 of the International Labour Organisation's Forced Labour Convention No. 29

1. For the purposes of this Convention the term "forced or compulsory labour" shall mean all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily.

2. Nevertheless, for the purposes of this Convention the term "forced or compulsory labour" shall not include:
c ) Any work or service exacted from any person as a consequence of a conviction in a court of law, provided that the said work or service is carried out under the supervision and control of a public authority and that the said person is not hired to or placed at the disposal of private individuals, companies or associations.

 
 HM Prison Service


COMPANIES WITH CURRENT AND PREVIOUS PRISON LABOUR CONTRACTS WITH HM PRISON SERVICE.

A-Belco Ltd.
Allen Group Ltd.
Amipak
Anco Storage Equipment Ltd.
APM Metals Ltd
Arethusa Venture Centre
Arimtage Pet Care
Army Training Regiment Pirbright
Artificer Services Ltd.
ASD Lighting Plc
ASL Systems Ltd.
Aurora Group

B&H Colour Change Ltd.
BCB International Ltd.
J&T Beaven Ltd.
Bentleys Brushware
Birchwood Products Ltd.
Bisley Parish Council
Blackmore Computers Ltd.
Blake UK Ltd.
Blue Chip Products Ltd.
BNL Ltd.
Bonus Accessories
Booker Direct Ltd.
Bourne Leisure Group
Britannia Wiper Company
Bulk Hardware Ltd.
Burford Laundry Service

CAT Enterprises Ltd
C.H. Products (Midlands) Ltd.
Chequer Foods Ltd.
Cobolt Systems Ltd
Cool Hands Ltd.
Comap Westco Ltd.
Commercial Lighting Supplies
Cooper Lighting
Coppermill Ltd.
Cors Limited
Crest Medical Ltd.
Crofton Maestrom Ltd.

Daler-Rowney Ltd.
Data Plastics Ltd.
DataDot Technology (Europe) Ltd.
Defence Medical Training Centre
Dextra Lighting Systems
D G Plastics Ltd.
DHL Exel Supply Chain
D L Products
DSG-Canusa Ltd.
Dufaylite Ltd.

Eccleshall RUFC
English Cahin Company
Enterprise Products Ltd.
Environmental Seals Ltd.
Eraze IT Ltd.
Essania

Fairway PSD Ltd.
Featherpost
Charles Fellows Supplies Ltd.
Fixfast
FloPlast Ltd.
The Florida Group Ltd.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Fullwood Ltd.

G4S Care & Justice Services (UK) Ltd.
Glazepart Ltd.
Global Resins Ltd.
Goldprime Enterprises Ltd.
Green Graphics Ltd.
GSL UK Ltd.

H & O Plastics Ltd.
Harrisons Packaging
JT Hayes Giftwrap Ltd.
HBC Engineering Solutions Ltd.
Heartcare Cardiac Support
Hepworth Building Products Ltd.
Hertfordshire Highways
Hexstone Ltd.
Hiatt Hardware Ltd.
Hilclare Ltd.
Horobin Ltd.

Industrial Rubber Plc
Interserve Building Service Ltd.
Intumescent Systems Ltd.
Isle of Wight Lavender Ltd.
ITP Ltd.

JCC Lighting Ltd.
Jetter Conversions Ltd.
JTB Pressings Ltd.

Kem Edwards Ltd.
Kent and Co (Twines) Ltd.

Lanchashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Landmarc Support Services Ltd.
LCR Hallcrest Ltd.
Lewden Eclectrical Industries
A S Lloyd & Sons Ltd.
LMB Supplies Ltd.
LS Parks & Countryside Guildford BC
Lucy Electric UK Ltd.

 

M & M Supplies
M'n'H Recycling Ltd.
MacFarland Group UK Ltd.
MacMillan Distribution Ltd. (MDL)
Magic Carpets Ltd.
Magnets (UK) Ltd.
C & C Marshall Ltd.
Martech UK
Maypole Ltd.
MCG Ltd.
Media Mailing
The Methodist
Mettex Fasteners Ltd.
MGS Technical Services Ltd.
MH Group Plc
MHH Engineering Co. Ltd.
Microlights Ltd.
Ministry Of Defence
Moeller Manufacturing Ltd.
Monarch Airlines
Morgan Hope Industries
Murpack Ltd.

Network 2 Supplies Ltd.
Newcastle Database Ltd.
Niagra Lasalle (UK) Ltd.
Northamptonshire County Council
Northern Freight Services Ltd.

Oak Filing Ltd.
Opella Ltd.
The Original Wheat Bag Co. Ltd.
Outsol Engineering Ltd.
Oxford Cycle Workshop

Paccar Parts UK Ltd.
Parkview Landscape Maintenance Ltd.
Parkville Country House Hotel
Pet Product Distribution Ltd.
PFS Design & Packaging Ltd.
Phipps and Co. Textile Products Ltd.
Pioneer Europe Ltd.
Plastico Ltd.
Polymer Recycling Ltd.
Power Products
Premair Aircraft Engineering Ltd.
Product Procurement Services Ltd.
Purbeck Plastics Ltd.
PVC Cables Ltd.
Pyramid Posters Ltd.

Reclaimed Appliances Ltd.
Recyke Y'Bikes
Rethinking Recycling Ltd.
J Rosenthal & Son Ltd.
Rotamould
Royal British Legion Poppy Factory

Saburo Products Ltd.
Scandinavian Design Ltd.
Scorpion Automotive Ltd.
Robert Scott & Sons Ltd.
Serco/Perm Training Services
Serco (Plastic Injection Moulding) Ltd.
SES (Entertainment Services) Ltd.
Severn Valley Woodworks Ltd.
Sew Con UK Ltd.
Sharp Interpack Ltd.
Showerdrape (STD) Ltd.
Shreds
Sicame Electrical Development Ltd.
Simmal Ltd. Aluminium Stockholders
Smurfit Recycling UK Ltd.
Social Inclusion Reaching Employment Needs
Softbox Systems Ltd.
Speedy Hire Plc
Spelthorne Borough Council
James Spencer & Co. Ltd.
Spinflo Ltd.
Staffordshire Rugby Football Club
Stereoplast
Stratton Sales Ltd.
Stuart Garden Architecture
Summit Media
Surrey Fasteners Ltd.
Surrey Police

T&G Fulfilment
Takeback Ltd.
Tamlite Lighting Ltd.
Tatra Plastics Manufacturing Ltd.
The Thyme & Plaice
Tinwolf
TJD Purchasing
Tomcat SNI Ltd.
Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust
ToyVend Plc
T R Fastenings Ltd.
Travis Perkins Hire
Tribal Hubs Ltd.
Trident Electrcal Services Ltd.
Tropical Marine Centre
Turners (Soham) Ltd.

UK Fixings (Southern) Ltd.
United Services

Viasys (Nicolet Biomedical) Ltd.
Virgin Airways
Vulcan Windows Ltd.

Wessex Sleep Centre
Westcon Products Ltd.
Whirlowdale Trading Co. Ltd.
Whistlestop Plastics Ltd.
Wigan and Leigh Hospice
Wiley Accessories Ltd.
Wilkinson Hardware
Wirefield Lighting Ltd.
Woking Borough Council
Woodway Packaging Ltd.
World Cruising Club Ltd.

 
  Prison Facts

In the financial year 2007-08 there were approximately 4,700 prisoners employed in Contract Services workshops, which generated a toatl turnover of £6.1m for HMPS.

Overall there are around 24,000 work places for prisoners across the estate in workshops, catering, cleaning, land based activities and day release programmes – most entail low grade menial work. This means that a maximum of just under a third of the prison population is engaged in work activities at any one time.

Clothing and textiles is the biggest employer in prison workshops with roughly 3,000 prisoners involved across 60 prisons. Almost all (95%) of textile products are for the internal market.

The Prison Service has acknowledged that prison industries have ‘rather got left behind by other developments within the system’ and that providing work opportunities for prisoners is not currently a central and essential part of the of the prison regime.’ - House of Commons, Home Affairs Committee, Rehabilitation of Prisoners, First Report of Session 2004-2005

[Bromley Briefings June 09]

An internal Prison Service review of workshops suggested that the focus should be almost totally on the internal market as demand for goods was so high due to the rise in prison numbers over the last decade.

[An internal review of the strategic oversight and management of public sector prison industries in England and Wales, Report of the Industries Review Team, 2003, Prison Service, London.]