Turkey: more than 50,000 inmates employed in prison workshops across the country

The number of workshops employing inmates in jails across Turkey has reached to 1,700, with more than 50,000 prisoners working under the program overseen by the Ministry of Justice.

Products in 180 different lines of work - including textiles, woodwork, bakery, apiculture, fruit and vegetables and breeding - are sold primarily to public institutions, while some products are marketed to private businesses, daily Habertürk reported on March 20.

Inmates are covered by the general social security system and are paid a daily wage of 14 Turkish Liras ($3.57), about a quarter of the minimum wage in Turkey.

Farming in prisons increases¶

According to Habertürk, the agricultural activity area worked on by inmates in Turkey is now around 17.6 million square meters. Vegetables and fruits are grown in the greenhouses on lands of 80,000 square meters in all seasons.

Some 3,600 tons of fodder, 2,000 tons of fruits, 2,000 tons of grains, 1,400 tons of vegetables and 85,000 ornamental plants were produced in the system in 2017.

Read full article.