Do prisons let prisoners contribute to free software? It seems like it'd be a win for everyone: prisoners get something productive to do; the world get better software; prisons get to brag about providing opportunities for what amounts to career training, but without having to spend very much.
There's a long history of having prisoners clean roads and make license plates. I imagine that'll still happen, since not everyone has the temperament for technology. But why not let those who do have the temperament do something that society values?
> Do prisons let prisoners contribute to free software?
No, I'd guess most prisoners don't have access to the internet, let alone a computer.
> There's a long history of having prisoners clean roads and make license plates.
That long history, at least in the United States, comes with a lot of baggage. The thirteenth amendment in the US Constitution forbids slavery except of prisoners, and many consider forced prison labor slavery. Prisoners have done things like clean roads, manufacture goods, work call centers, etc. In California, prisoners earn between $0.30 and $0.95 an hour before deductions.
Many states engage prison in industries (like textiles) that are profit centers (though often their markets are restricted to government entities, like other state prison systems)
There's a long history of having prisoners clean roads and make license plates. I imagine that'll still happen, since not everyone has the temperament for technology. But why not let those who do have the temperament do something that society values?