COXSACKIE, N.Y. - Convicts at the Greene Correctional Facility, a medium security prison in Coxsackie, are now taking calls for New York State Department of Motor Vehicles in a call center that has been opened at the prison.
This call center, in conjunction with the DMV Call Center at the women's Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County, which hires 39 offenders, is expected to answer more than one million calls per year. This is part of Governor Andrew Cuomo's call to state agencies to seek more cost effective ways to deliver services to the public effectively and efficiently, saving taxpayers approximately $3.5 million annually.
Greene's call center will employ up to 45 offenders when fully operational, including full-time, part-time customer service agents, trainees, six DMV employee team leaders and two trainers.
Offenders must successfully be trained as Customer Service Representatives in a 490 hour program supervised by DMV staff. The training sessions consist of both classroom time and telephone time.
Participating offenders do not have access to DMV computers and are not able to access any customer data. Offenders convicted of a telephone-related crime or credit card or computer fraud are not eligible to work at the center, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision says.
Each offender is hired by DMV after being recommended by DOCCS and their performance is continually evaluated by DMV staff. They also must have either a high school diploma or a GED.
Participating offenders are paid standard hourly correctional industry wages that range from 46 cents to $1.14 per hour based on experience level and title.
The DOCCS says the program provides offenders with knowledge of vehicle and traffic law, permits, renewals, Commercial Drivers Licenses, fee structure and other DMV related information. Offenders learn skills aimed at making them more marketable upon release from prison, including customer service, communication and problem solving.
WNYT Update 1/11/2012
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COXSACKIE - Inside a converted dormitory is a set-up that could pass for any typical office until you notice that all the workers are wearing prison jump suits.
When New Yorkers place calls to DMV's general purpose telephone numbers, they will be answered here at Greene Correctional, or at a similar set-up at Bedford Hills women's prison.
"Obviously, it saves taxpayer dollars," said the Commissioner of Corrections and Community Supervision Brian Fischer. "Number two, it provides what we call a transferable skill."
Officials say the call center position is one of the most coveted jobs inside the prison. Not for the pay, it's about a dollar an hour, but for other reasons.
"A lot of times we need to feel like we are appreciated and it builds self-esteem," said inmate John Howard, originally from Brooklyn. "It allows me the opportunity to speak to different people of different nationalities, regardless of what ethnicity and it makes me feel like wow, I can do better."
Corrections and Motor Vehicles stress that no personal information is displayed to the prisoners.
They don't have access to computers and are pretty closely monitored, but at no time are callers informed they're talking to a prisoner.
The idea is to make it a standard, polite conversation on both ends.
"Most of the time people are very pleasant," said inmate Andrew Cooper from Brooklyn. "We have situations where people call and they're irate, however, we're trained to diffuse those situations."
The President of the Civil Service Employees Association, Danny Donohue described the arrangement as " a bad idea generally and even worse considering the current economy". He noted that New York State has decided to help prisoners develop "marketable skills" rather than make appropriate and necessary jobs available to law abiding citizens.
Didn't find anything on WRGB (surprise!)
TIMES UNION HAD THIS 4 hrs ago
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CSEA unhappy with prison call center New York’s Dept of Motor Vehicles earlier this week announced it had expanded its prison call center to the Greene County Correctional Facility. While state officials touted the savings that come with having inmates handle information requests... more »
Now we have to wait for DV to modify his comments since the CSEA is against it. Like the communists in America in 1939 who were pro-Hitler, they were given orders to change and be AGAINST Hitler when he invaded the USSR- the modern day communists here do the same dance when the orders are shouted.
It doesn't matter to me what CSEA has to say on the issue. I have never "taken orders" from anyone as to what to think or what to say or what to believe in. Anyone who thinks they can order me to think or say or believe something will be sadly mistaken.
It saves the taxpayers money and is helping inmates train and turn their lives around. It is a great idea.
“And yet our opponents tell us not to interfere with abortion. They tell us not to impose our morality on those who wish to allow or participate in the taking of the life of infants before birth. Yet no one calls it imposing morality to prohibit the taking of life after a child is born. We’re told about a woman’s right to control her own body. But doesn’t the unborn child have a higher right, and that is to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?” – Ronald Reagan
are the convicts in the union? oh wait,,,,,even if one is NOT in prison and belongs in a government worker union and 'steals time' they still get to belong......hhhhmmmm
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
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