2015 US Code
Title 18 - Crimes and Criminal Procedure (Sections 1 - 6005)
Part III - Prisons and Prisoners (Sections 4001 - 4353)
Chapter 307 - Employment (Sections 4121 - 4129)
Sec. 4121 - Federal Prison Industries; board of directors

"Federal Prison Industries", a government corporation of the District of Columbia, shall be administered by a board of six directors, appointed by the President to serve at the will of the President without compensation.

The directors shall be representatives of (1) industry, (2) labor, (3) agriculture, (4) retailers and consumers, (5) the Secretary of Defense, and (6) the Attorney General, respectively.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 851; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, §62, 63 Stat. 98.)

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§744i, 744j (June 23, 1934, ch. 736, §§1, 2, 48 Stat. 1211).

Section consolidates sections 744i and 744j of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed. The former was rewritten omitting unnecessary recital as to policy and expressing the original language of the two sections more logically.

Changes were made in transportation and phraseology.

This section [section 62] incorporates in section 4121 of title 18, U.S.C., with changes in phraseology, the provisions of section 3 of act of June 29, 1948 (ch. 719, 62 Stat. 1100), which was enacted subsequent to the enactment of the revision of title 18 and which provided for appointment of an additional member of the board of directors of the Federal Prison Industries, as a representative of the Secretary of Defense.

1949—Act May 24, 1949, made a representative of the Secretary of Defense a member of the board of directors.

Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (together with its Board of Directors), and its functions transferred to Department of Justice to be administered under general direction and supervision of Attorney General, by Reorg. Plan No. II of 1939, §3(a), eff. July 1, 1939, 4 F.R. 2731, 53 Stat. 1431, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. See, also, Reorg. Plan No. 2 of 1950, §1, eff. May 1, 1950, 15 F.R. 3173, 64 Stat. 1261, and section 509 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

Pub. L. 101–647, title XXIX, §2905, Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4914, provided that:

"(a) In General.—(1) It is the policy of the Federal Government that convicted inmates confined in Federal prisons, jails, and other detention facilities shall work. The type of work in which they will be involved shall be dictated by appropriate security considerations and by the health of the prisoner involved.

"(2) A Federal prisoner may be excused from the requirement to work only as necessitated by—

"(A) security considerations;

"(B) disciplinary action;

"(C) medical certification of disability such as would make it impracticable for prison officials to arrange useful work for the prisoner to perform; or

"(D) a need for the prisoner to work less than a full work schedule in order to participate in literacy training, drug rehabilitation, or similar programs in addition to the work program."

Pub. L. 95–624, §10, Nov. 9, 1978, 92 Stat. 3463, provided that:

"(a) On or before September 1, 1979, the Attorney General shall submit to the Congress—

"(1) a plan to assure the closure of the United States Penitentiary on McNeil Island, Steilacoom, Washington, on or before January 1, 1982; and

"(2) a report on the status of the Federal Prison Industries.

"(b) The report made under this section shall include a long-range plan for the improvement of meaningful employment training, and the methods which could be undertaken to employ a greater number of United States prisoners in the program. Such report may include recommendations for legislation."