Sounds like a market distortion to me. I have to wonder what kind of kickbacks they get for employing those people, or whether they have a work program based i

Sounds like a market distortion to me. I have to wonder what kind of kickbacks they get for employing those people, or whether they have a work program based in whole or part on slave labor (quite common in a number of places, slavery isn't illegal for those who have been incarcerated). Markets can't compete with slave labor, which explains why monopoly and other socialist practices take hold. Corruption has a long arm.