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K4short's avatar

Prisoners' "shop" is privately run... a few years ago it came up for re-tender or however they choose the profit makers and would you believe, a group of screws took it over. There is nowhere else prisoners can buy biscuits or toothpaste, some of them have friends who give them care parcels (gave? not sure what if any restrictions there are on that) and they can deposit money into their accounts, otherwise the money is what they earn for e.g. kitchen work. Hint: it's not "living wage" hourly :) These people are being exploited to the max, which is not the way to bring out good attitudes to society for when they are released.

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Toni's avatar

I wouldn't expect a prisoner to receive a living wage in the hand while in prison.... Unless we were also going to charge them for board (I'll leave out other supports that may be available because they should be utilised so that they don't return). But I agree, more needs to be done to support offenders on their return to the community so that they feel like a part of it and want to contribute to it, heck even supports in place for those "at risk" so they don't end up in prison in the first place.

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K4short's avatar

I agree. Living wage for work in prison wasn't a serious suggestion, I was trying to point out the unfairness of OTT profiteering from people who are even worse off than ordinary shoppers. The prisoners can't pop along to the supermarket where what they want is on special. The fact that people in a particular situation, in relation to the prisoners, have this franchise and are using it so cynically is offensive to me.

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Toni's avatar

Oh, now that is a photo I don't know the location of 🤔

Interesting statistics about the on-licenses. Would be more intrigued over the last 15 - 20 years though, when the University started buying up the pubs around campus.

Speaking of, I was one of the extras on that advertisement, filmed in July. They insisted we tried to make it look warm by getting rid of jackets/jerseys... Except you can tell it's the middle of winter as there's no leaves on the trees. We were feed soup and rolls for lunch, and I was paid by super market voucher 😅 We were on Union St bridge for ages while the band "played" that song over and over, knew it fairly well before it was released 🤣

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