Branch Mint in a Federal Prison.

coinmanic

How about setting up a branch Mint at a Federal Prison. If the convicts can make license plates, coins won't be much of a problem. Let the more senior, non violent offenders do the work. Perhaps the Cent would be the best coin to start with. Even if some get stolen, they wouldn't amount to much. Let the prisoners get productive and offset some of the cost of incarceration.

Swampboy

Good idea.
I was noticin' there are way too many skilled jobs in this economy.

coinmanic

Perhaps Bernie Madoff could be the administrator. Let him try to haul $50 billion in Cents out of there.

edix2001

All ya need to do is look up the prison slang term "caboose" to understand the security risk.

wikyva

What would the mint mark be? P for pokey S for slammer H for houscow (not sure how to spell that)?

ricko

Wow.... talk about an invitation to blackmarket errors.... Cheers, RickO

LanLord

What "problem" are you seeking to solve.

I don't think labour is our issue with coinage, it's the fact that most of the smaller coins have base metals that are more valuable (or close to as valuable) as the face value of the coins.

Coining in a prison seems to me to be a solution in search of a problem.

19Lyds

Since the US Mint produces a profit which they report upon annually, I do not think that inmates in either a state or federal prison can be used as "cheap labor" to produce products?

Boothill40

<< <i>All ya need to do is look up the prison slang term "caboose" to understand the security risk. >>



But if they "keestered" a penny how would it tone

BlindedByEgo

<< <i>What "problem" are you seeking to solve.

I don't think labour is our issue with coinage, it's the fact that most of the smaller coins have base metals that are more valuable (or close to as valuable) as the face value of the coins.

Coining in a prison seems to me to be a solution in search of a problem. >>



I don't have much of an opinion on the OP. I just like the way you spelled "labour"

derryb

And i could have my uncle strike a few special coins just for me!

LindeDad

Actually in a way it is already being done. Just not using convict labor.
West Point is a military base. All military bases have a brig or temporary confinement facility.
Now you have two different facilities within the same base.

coinmanic

Prison labor is limited as to what may be produced. Generally, no items may be manufactured that will compete with the private sector. This is a good way for the prison population to help pay for their incarceration. Again, producing the Cent would virtually eliminate the theft problem. If a prisoner wants to carry off a buck worth of coins in his butt, then let him have em.

fivecents

All the graded errors from the prison would be labeled "kister stashed"

Gemineye

<< <i>How about setting up a branch Mint at a Federal Prison. If the convicts can make license plates, coins won't be much of a problem. Let the more senior, non violent offenders do the work. Perhaps the Cent would be the best coin to start with. Even if some get stolen, they wouldn't amount to much. Let the prisoners get productive and offset some of the cost of incarceration. >>


If you think there are errors now...can you imagine all the errors and combination of errors there would be.The mules would be lined up out the door....

MsMorrisine

worry more for the dies to go missing.

PerryHall

<< <i>worry more for the dies to go missing. >>



Good point. Guess how they would smuggle them out.

coinmanic

The fact is, Mint security is as stringent as most prisons. Workers do not just walk in and out. Several years ago, workers were creating errors and smuggling them out by dropping them in the oil fill spout of a forklift. They new the outside contractors that serviced the truck. When it left to be worked on, they removed the coins.

fivecents

<< <i>he fact is, Mint security is as stringent as most prisons. Workers do not just walk in and out. Several years ago, workers were creating errors and smuggling them out by dropping them in the oil fill spout of a forklift. They new the outside contractors that serviced the truck. When it left to be worked on, they removed the coins. >>

Those guys were caught and are doing federal time. We already have an experinced US mint trained work force in prison. I say put them all to work.

CaptHenway

OLD THREAD ALERT

@fivecents said:
<< he fact is, Mint security is as stringent as most prisons. Workers do not just walk in and out. Several years ago, workers were creating errors and smuggling them out by dropping them in the oil fill spout of a forklift. They new the outside contractors that serviced the truck. When it left to be worked on, they removed the coins. >>

Those guys were caught and are doing federal time. We already have an experinced US mint trained work force in prison. I say put them all to work.

Can anybody confirm or refute this statement, specifically where it says that some or all of the people caught deliberately making what I would call fake errors at the San Francisco Assay Office (later Mint) in the late 1960's and early 1970's and smuggling them out of the building in the oil pans of forklift trucks were sentenced to Federal prison?

Does anybody have a copy of an official document from the Bureau of the Mint or the Department of the Treasury stating for the record how this matter was resolved?

Thanks.

TD

RiveraFamilyCollect

A prisoner ran mint seems ambitious.
I think prisons should all have a legit tattoo studio with inmate tattoo artists. Not because I think they deserve tattoo's but because they do it anyway, legit is safer and it would give a small number of inmates a job skill they can use upon release. Most tattoo studio's hire felons.

HillbillyCollector

Wow, cool idea for a prison mint!
And I thought of a good mint mark. Use ‘cc’ for “continued carceration.”
Then everyone can tell friends they collect cc branch mint coins, impressive!😂

WillieBoyd2

One of the basic principles in prison management is to keep prisoners separated from money as money would facilitate escapes.