Maine is now the first state to offer remote work to incarcerated individuals. While the program began with an endowment from philanthropist Doris Buffett and her Sunshine Lady Foundation, the expansion from supervised educational laptop use to fully remote employment has sparked debate about security, fairness and the fundamentals of criminal justice.
For nearly two decades, prisoners in Maine have been using laptops to finish their education and receive degrees. The recent shift to allowing select inmates to secure remote work has crossed a concerning line, with some prisoners now earning salaries that exceed those of their correctional officers. Prison is a punishment, not a job growth opportunity.
Preston Thorpe said he has already landed his dream job as a senior software engineer and bought a modest house with his six-figure salary. It was all accomplished by putting in long days from his cell at the Mountain View Correctional Center in Charleston.
When someone has nothing to lose, Thorpe said it is pretty easy to behave that way. When someone is released from prison with no money and an identity as a convict, the likelihood of improving their lives is near zero, according to Thorpe.
While Thorpe’s perspective reflects genuine challenges facing former inmates, his current situation raises questions about whether incarceration still serves as a deterrent or consequence when prisoners can accumulate wealth and assets that most law-abiding citizens struggle to achieve.
Glauber Costa, CEO of Turso, an international database company, hired Thorpe without knowing his incarceration status. Costa figured Thorpe might have trouble clearing the company’s background check, and he said he prepared himself for that.
To everyone’s surprise, “He is actually our cleanest background check,” Costa notes. Since the company only searches back seven years and Thorpe has been incarcerated for over a decade, “he doesn’t [even] have a parking ticket.”
Costa’s comment, while meant to be lighthearted, highlights a troubling reality: Employers could unknowingly hire prisoners, and some convicted criminals are presenting cleaner backgrounds than law-abiding citizens.
Several dozen other prisoners work remote jobs at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham. Darlene George is a certified recovery coach, a scholar and a teaching assistant who is serving a 40-year sentence for the murder of her husband
“If it provides meaningful employment for them, it also allows for a transition back into the community,” said Maine Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty.
For example, one prisoner worked as a paralegal for a law firm and continued with the job after he got out. Wages are garnished for child support, victim restitution and other fees. For those who earn above a certain amount, 10% goes to the Department of Corrections for room and board, but prisoners can also save money or send it home. Liberty said between educational programs and remote work, the prison environment is better for everyone.
This development means prisoners are paying a mere fraction for housing while building nest eggs that many working Americans cannot due to the rising cost of living — yet victims and their families must contend with knowing their perpetrators are thriving financially.
While reducing violence against correctional officers is certainly positive, Maine’s framing suggests that providing prisoners with lucrative remote jobs is the primary solution to prison violence. This is a troubling implication that puts appeasing criminals on a pedestal higher than maintaining proper institutional control and security measures. Instead, law-abiding citizens should be prioritized and supported through their endeavors to find work and affordable housing rather than criminals.
