Swedish prisons hope to profit from 'Made in Jail'
Times are tough for Sweden’s prison factories. Despite 10 kronor per hour wages paid to prison laborers, business is down nearly 200 million kronor over the last two years.
But now officials are hoping the "Made in Jail" brand may help profitability.
The brand is popular in several other countries, including the United States, and now the Swedish Prison and Probation Service (Kriminalvården) is hoping for similar success in Sweden. Made in Jail was recently registered and launched in November at a suppliers’ convention in Jönköping.
“The idea behind the venture with Made in Jail is to lift sales and income,” said Kriminalvården’s Anne Marie Dahlgren.
However, the launch hasn’t gotten off to a very good start. Kriminalvården employees went through the roof upon discovering that the company Christmas gift was a candle holder stamped with the Made in Jail brand. Disrespectful, embarrassing, and offensive were just a few of the words used to describe the gift.
About 1,000 prisoners in the Swedish prison system work for 10 kronor per hour in Kriminalvården’s commercial ventures. Officials say the business’s poor profits are the result of higher supervision and security costs associated with prison labor.
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But now officials are hoping the "Made in Jail" brand may help profitability.
The brand is popular in several other countries, including the United States, and now the Swedish Prison and Probation Service (Kriminalvården) is hoping for similar success in Sweden. Made in Jail was recently registered and launched in November at a suppliers’ convention in Jönköping.
“The idea behind the venture with Made in Jail is to lift sales and income,” said Kriminalvården’s Anne Marie Dahlgren.
However, the launch hasn’t gotten off to a very good start. Kriminalvården employees went through the roof upon discovering that the company Christmas gift was a candle holder stamped with the Made in Jail brand. Disrespectful, embarrassing, and offensive were just a few of the words used to describe the gift.
About 1,000 prisoners in the Swedish prison system work for 10 kronor per hour in Kriminalvården’s commercial ventures. Officials say the business’s poor profits are the result of higher supervision and security costs associated with prison labor.
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