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| Student Journalist Uncovers High School’s Use of Prison Labor | Student Journalist Uncovers High School’s Use of Prison Labor |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| In mid-April, Sara Barber-Just screened “Spotlight,” the 2015 film about The Boston Globe’s investigation of a sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church, for her high school journalism students. The students were enthralled. One asked Ms. Barber-Just if she had ever done a similar investigation. | In mid-April, Sara Barber-Just screened “Spotlight,” the 2015 film about The Boston Globe’s investigation of a sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church, for her high school journalism students. The students were enthralled. One asked Ms. Barber-Just if she had ever done a similar investigation. |
| Ms. Barber-Just, a journalism teacher at Amherst-Pelham Regional High School for more than 20 years, laughed and told her class that it was really hard to do an investigation of that scale while in high school. You don’t have a big Spotlight team, she said. | Ms. Barber-Just, a journalism teacher at Amherst-Pelham Regional High School for more than 20 years, laughed and told her class that it was really hard to do an investigation of that scale while in high school. You don’t have a big Spotlight team, she said. |
| By the next week, a student in her class had begun his own one-month investigation into the school district’s use of prison labor to reupholster all the seats in Amherst-Pelham Regional’s auditorium. | By the next week, a student in her class had begun his own one-month investigation into the school district’s use of prison labor to reupholster all the seats in Amherst-Pelham Regional’s auditorium. |
| The student, Spencer Cliche, who turned 18 on Friday, published a 3,000-word exposé in the school newspaper this month that shocked the community. Within 24 hours, Ms. Barber-Just saw that nearly a thousand people had clicked on the article. The superintendent issued a statement to school staff members promising never to contract with the prison again. | The student, Spencer Cliche, who turned 18 on Friday, published a 3,000-word exposé in the school newspaper this month that shocked the community. Within 24 hours, Ms. Barber-Just saw that nearly a thousand people had clicked on the article. The superintendent issued a statement to school staff members promising never to contract with the prison again. |
| Then the local newspaper, The Daily Hampshire Gazette, picked up the story. It was also featured on a local radio station as the “question of the morning” and later received national attention when it was picked up by The Marshall Project. | Then the local newspaper, The Daily Hampshire Gazette, picked up the story. It was also featured on a local radio station as the “question of the morning” and later received national attention when it was picked up by The Marshall Project. |
| Prison labor is a common practice in the United States, though most is kept in-house. But there are also state-run “correctional industries,” such as MassCor, a program that arranges for inmates to do work for institutions such as nursing homes, social service providers, municipalities and, in this case, school systems. | Prison labor is a common practice in the United States, though most is kept in-house. But there are also state-run “correctional industries,” such as MassCor, a program that arranges for inmates to do work for institutions such as nursing homes, social service providers, municipalities and, in this case, school systems. |
| While proponents argue that the system helps close budget gaps, opponents argue that the low wages are exploitive. On average, incarcerated people earn less than a dollar an hour, according to Prison Policy Initiative, a criminal justice think tank in Massachusetts. | While proponents argue that the system helps close budget gaps, opponents argue that the low wages are exploitive. On average, incarcerated people earn less than a dollar an hour, according to Prison Policy Initiative, a criminal justice think tank in Massachusetts. |
| Mr. Cliche said his investigation began months before his class watched “Spotlight,” when he overheard a parent and a faculty member talking about prison labor in the auditorium in late January. | Mr. Cliche said his investigation began months before his class watched “Spotlight,” when he overheard a parent and a faculty member talking about prison labor in the auditorium in late January. |
| “No one seemed to know about it,” he said. “I decided to just bring the issue — kind of a rumor — to my journalism teacher.” | “No one seemed to know about it,” he said. “I decided to just bring the issue — kind of a rumor — to my journalism teacher.” |
| With the help of Ms. Barber-Just, Mr. Cliche emailed the district superintendent, Michael Morris, to confirm that the school was using prison labor. Mr. Cliche then reached out to Cara Savelli, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Correction. | With the help of Ms. Barber-Just, Mr. Cliche emailed the district superintendent, Michael Morris, to confirm that the school was using prison labor. Mr. Cliche then reached out to Cara Savelli, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Correction. |
| “MassCor is a voluntary program that helps inmates develop skills in useful trades that support their post-release success,” Ms. Savelli said. “This project was exciting because it was not your typical reupholstering. Normally people drop off individual sofas and chairs from their homes. I think the auditorium chairs was kind of a new element.” | “MassCor is a voluntary program that helps inmates develop skills in useful trades that support their post-release success,” Ms. Savelli said. “This project was exciting because it was not your typical reupholstering. Normally people drop off individual sofas and chairs from their homes. I think the auditorium chairs was kind of a new element.” |
| The Amherst-Pelham Regional School District had never contracted with MassCor before, Dr. Morris said, at least not in any records he could find. | The Amherst-Pelham Regional School District had never contracted with MassCor before, Dr. Morris said, at least not in any records he could find. |
| Mr. Cliche was able to obtain the contract between the school district and MassCor, officially Massachusetts Correctional Industries, that arranged for inmates at a prison in Norfolk, Mass., to reupholster the auditorium seats at the school district’s high school and middle school. | Mr. Cliche was able to obtain the contract between the school district and MassCor, officially Massachusetts Correctional Industries, that arranged for inmates at a prison in Norfolk, Mass., to reupholster the auditorium seats at the school district’s high school and middle school. |
| Eight to 12 inmates were assigned to the project, typically working six to seven hours a day, Ms. Savelli said. The project was set to be completed between April and June. | Eight to 12 inmates were assigned to the project, typically working six to seven hours a day, Ms. Savelli said. The project was set to be completed between April and June. |
| In class, Mr. Cliche gave daily updates on his story’s progress. Students would often ask questions that guided his reporting. Ms. Barber-Just said he would often eat his lunch in her classroom to work on the investigation with her. | In class, Mr. Cliche gave daily updates on his story’s progress. Students would often ask questions that guided his reporting. Ms. Barber-Just said he would often eat his lunch in her classroom to work on the investigation with her. |
| “It was starting to feel like the story was becoming all consuming,” she said. | “It was starting to feel like the story was becoming all consuming,” she said. |
| Ms. Barber-Just enlisted the help of Kathy Roberts Forde and Razvan Sibii, two journalism professors at the nearby University of Massachusetts, Amherst. | Ms. Barber-Just enlisted the help of Kathy Roberts Forde and Razvan Sibii, two journalism professors at the nearby University of Massachusetts, Amherst. |
| Mr. Sibii met Mr. Cliche in late April when he spoke to Ms. Barber-Just’s class about prison journalism. | Mr. Sibii met Mr. Cliche in late April when he spoke to Ms. Barber-Just’s class about prison journalism. |
| “My main concern was for the story to be framed not just as an all-out condemnation of the practice of prison labor, because I personally have heard from many incarcerated individuals about how that kind of work in prison is meaningful to them,” Mr. Sibii said. “The dilemma is that the system is profoundly broken with extremely low pay and few safety protections. I was happy with the result.” | “My main concern was for the story to be framed not just as an all-out condemnation of the practice of prison labor, because I personally have heard from many incarcerated individuals about how that kind of work in prison is meaningful to them,” Mr. Sibii said. “The dilemma is that the system is profoundly broken with extremely low pay and few safety protections. I was happy with the result.” |
| But the story continued: One day before the article was to be published, Mr. Cliche discovered the name of the other vendor that had vied to reupholster the auditorium: Wellspring Upholstery Cooperative. | But the story continued: One day before the article was to be published, Mr. Cliche discovered the name of the other vendor that had vied to reupholster the auditorium: Wellspring Upholstery Cooperative. |
| Wellspring Upholstery, just south of Amherst, hires formerly incarcerated and low-income people and pays $25 an hour, according to Mr. Cliche’s article. | |
| “We expected to do several school auditoriums a year, but over our five and a half years in operation, we have hardly done any,” Fred Rose, the co-director of Wellspring, said in an email. He attributed this lack of work to competition from prison labor options, which are cheaper because inmates are hardly paid. | “We expected to do several school auditoriums a year, but over our five and a half years in operation, we have hardly done any,” Fred Rose, the co-director of Wellspring, said in an email. He attributed this lack of work to competition from prison labor options, which are cheaper because inmates are hardly paid. |
| In Massachusetts, prisoners can earn 14 cents to a dollar an hour, according to the Department of Correction. At least half of each paycheck goes into a savings account to pay for the inmates’ expenses after release. | In Massachusetts, prisoners can earn 14 cents to a dollar an hour, according to the Department of Correction. At least half of each paycheck goes into a savings account to pay for the inmates’ expenses after release. |
| Mr. Cliche’s article was published online June 3. By the next afternoon, Dr. Morris, the superintendent, sent out an email saying that because of concerns Mr. Cliche’s article raised, the school would no longer use prison labor. | Mr. Cliche’s article was published online June 3. By the next afternoon, Dr. Morris, the superintendent, sent out an email saying that because of concerns Mr. Cliche’s article raised, the school would no longer use prison labor. |
| “I think there was a range of feelings that I received and at the end of the day, I want to value the student activism that I heard and consider the points raised in the article,” Dr. Morris said. | “I think there was a range of feelings that I received and at the end of the day, I want to value the student activism that I heard and consider the points raised in the article,” Dr. Morris said. |
| Aleks Kajstura, a legal director at Prison Policy Initiative who lives near Amherst, said she was not surprised that the school’s use of prison labor was poorly received in the community, given Amherst’s liberal leanings. | Aleks Kajstura, a legal director at Prison Policy Initiative who lives near Amherst, said she was not surprised that the school’s use of prison labor was poorly received in the community, given Amherst’s liberal leanings. |
| According to Ms. Savelli, the department spokeswoman, contracts with school corporations have a dual purpose: “Inmates develop valuable, marketable experience, while the recipient agencies receive a quality product at a reasonable price.” | According to Ms. Savelli, the department spokeswoman, contracts with school corporations have a dual purpose: “Inmates develop valuable, marketable experience, while the recipient agencies receive a quality product at a reasonable price.” |
| But Ms. Kajstura characterizes such contracts as a bad situation for everyone involved. | But Ms. Kajstura characterizes such contracts as a bad situation for everyone involved. |
| “I think everybody’s worse off,” Ms. Kajstura said. “You have the taxpayers, who are now funding forced labor. You have the incarcerated folks, who got to do this work but should have been paid an actual salary for it, so I think there are no winners.” | “I think everybody’s worse off,” Ms. Kajstura said. “You have the taxpayers, who are now funding forced labor. You have the incarcerated folks, who got to do this work but should have been paid an actual salary for it, so I think there are no winners.” |
| Thousands of people have read Mr. Cliche’s story since it was published, according to the school newspaper’s editor, Max Radin, 18. | Thousands of people have read Mr. Cliche’s story since it was published, according to the school newspaper’s editor, Max Radin, 18. |
| “The community response to our article was overwhelmingly positive,” he said. | “The community response to our article was overwhelmingly positive,” he said. |
| In his graduation speech as both class president and valedictorian, Leif Maynard recognized Mr. Cliche’s investigation: “Members of our class pushed the school district toward the moral high ground through an expertly crafted piece of journalism on contracted prison labor.” | In his graduation speech as both class president and valedictorian, Leif Maynard recognized Mr. Cliche’s investigation: “Members of our class pushed the school district toward the moral high ground through an expertly crafted piece of journalism on contracted prison labor.” |
| Gabriella Farr-Goldin, 17, a fellow student in Mr. Cliche’s class, said she wanted to be an investigative journalist after taking the class. | Gabriella Farr-Goldin, 17, a fellow student in Mr. Cliche’s class, said she wanted to be an investigative journalist after taking the class. |
| “There’s kind of a stigma about what high school papers are and what we cover,” she said. “I think that Spencer really worked his butt off to show how hard we actually work in this class.” | “There’s kind of a stigma about what high school papers are and what we cover,” she said. “I think that Spencer really worked his butt off to show how hard we actually work in this class.” |