The main argument for the continued use of prison industry programs is that they lead to reduced recidivism of the prisoners who participate in the program. In fact, some argue that there is a high correlation between the prisoners who work in the prison industry and a higher than average success rate indicated by lower re-arrests, convictions, and incarceration. However, this has been challenged by various bodies such as the Congressional Research Service that highlighted the limited number of rigorous evaluations of the system that makes it almost impossible to determine its success (Schmalleger & Smyka, 2015).
