Prisoners calling our homes (1 Viewer)

[wixxy2348]

CONVICTED criminals are being employed as telemarketers to cold-call people as part of a radical new prison employment program.

But those called will have no idea they are talking to an inmate and the State Government will not say which organisations are using the convicts as part of a confidentiality deal.

The program is designed to prepare women prisoners from Windsor's low and medium-security Dillwynia Correctional Centre for life on the outside, training them for work and stopping them from reoffending.

However it is also being used as a low-cost way for companies to get cheap telemarketing work and for the Government to boost its coffers.
Even with bonuses and target incentives, prisoners get no more than $67 for a 30-hour week - barely $2 an hour compared to the standard minimum wage of $14.31 an hour.

Prisoners are not allowed to ask for or handle any credit card details or other financial records and every call is recorded and monitored by both a telemarketing professional and a corrective services officer.

The Australian Teleservices Association, the peak body for telemarketers, is promoting the call centre to its members and also hires the inmates itself. It is understood the prisoners do data collection for businesses and also directly call private consumers on behalf of charities.

ATA chief executive Michael Meredith refused to say exactly how much cheaper the prison service was, except that it was "less than half".

"It's very low cost for us but to be honest we do it because we think it's the right thing to do," he said.

About 15 prisoners are in the program but that number is expected to soon double.

The prison's call centre was originally set up just to receive and direct calls to Government agencies. The Daily Telegraph has been told it now does nothing but outbound calls.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...story-e6freuy9-1225780203634?from=news.com.au


Thoughts on this program?

 

[Uncle]

first indians and now prisoners.
cheap labour at its best.
typical corporate pigs.

 

[johony]

not a bad idea. gets prisoners doing something (barely) useful.
but, female prisoners only though?

 

[Daipire]

not a bad idea. gets prisoners doing something (barely) useful.
but, female prisoners only though?

Maybe cause people won't answer the phone out of paranoia that there will be a serial killer selling them vaccuum cleaners

I know it won't be serial killers, but people are stupid

 

[parawhoree]

erm...it reminds me of the beginning of scream/scary movie, only...i wouldn't chat up the random on the phone...

 

[Strawbaby]

Look, I think, the more useful work you give to prisoners, the more they can build their skills-base, be involved, have something to occupy themselves and work towards a decent life after prison. So I think it's fine, provided they're adequately supervised and monitored.

 

[wixxy2348]

So I think it's fine, provided they're adequately supervised and monitored.

"every call is recorded and monitored by both a telemarketing professional and a corrective services officer."

Surely this would make this line of rehabilitation rather costly, though? What guarantee do we have that this is taking place on every call?

 

[Strawbaby]

"every call is recorded and monitored by both a telemarketing professional and a corrective services officer."

Surely this would make this line of rehabilitation rather costly, though? What guarantee do we have that this is taking place on every call?

You could always just put an officer with them in the room, and only choose certain prisoners to do the program. I highly doubt they'd be putting child molestors, serial killers, sexual predators and those likely to threaten or intimidate on the phones.
In any case it would be a hell of a lot cheaper than hiring people at minimum wage to do it.

 

[loquasagacious]

I think it's a good idea.

As for monitoring I imagine it would occur much like any other contact centre, a team leader in the room with the agents and call recording so that they can be referred back to.

 

[Silver Persian]

Knowing that I might end up doing telemarketing if I go to prison is probably the most effective crime deterrant.

Good idea.

What do people think about the $2/hr pay rate?

 

[jb_nc]

CONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminalsCONVICTED criminals

 

[jb_nc]

criminals who hath been convicted of a crime hitherto

 

[S.H.O.D.A.N.]

What do people think about the $2/hr pay rate?

If the work is voluntary, I see no problem. This isn't a real job for them - it's a skills improvement programme. Similarly, trainees are paid below minimum wage, and charity workers usually paid nothing at all.

I think the plan is a good idea and will end up being quite effective.

I work in an IT support centre. We have a team leaders with us when we make calls. If we start doing or saying weird shit, they pick up on it pretty swiftly.

 

[pman]

It might stop people arbitarily hanging up as soon as they realise its a telly marketer, they be too scared of getting killed if the don't by something!