Inmates to work as phone solicitors

Saturday, Aug. 1, 1998 | 4:44 a.m.

Prison Industries Director Howard Skolnik said inmates at the medium-security facility will try to persuade people to switch their long-distance service to Telenet International Inc.

He also said Friday that Telenet may soon enter into a contract to have inmates at the privately run women's prison in North Las Vegas handle the same job.

Skolnik said the company has been able to fill just 75 of the 250 positions available in Las Vegas.

"They are having a difficult time finding employees," he said. "They also will hire anyone coming out (of prison) to work for them."

Approval for the contract between the prisons system and Telenet was given by the Legislature's Prison Industries Committee.

Washington state suspended a telemarketing job program for state prisoners earlier this year after a convicted rapist sent a suggestive card to a woman in that state.

Skolnik said Nevada inmates will get $4.50 for every person they persuade to switch to Telenet. The company estimates solicitors can get 1.2 people per hour to change.

Out of their earnings, inmates must give a portion to the prisons system for room and board and the victims of crime fund.

Skolnik assured legislators that inmates will be given a list showing only prospective customers' names and telephone numbers. They will not get addresses or ask for credit card numbers, he said.

While many people are irritated by telephone solicitors, Assemblyman John Marvel, R-Battle Mountain, said companies are going to solicit business by telephone regardless of their feelings.

"We might as well capitalize on the opportunity," he said. "Some of their pay will go to pay room and board."

The inmates will be supervised by correctional officers at the expense of Telenet. Inmates will be screened and trained before being put to work.

Skolnik said inmates might handle telemarketing work better than other people because "they are used to rejection. They don't take it personally."

While accepting Telenet's contract, the legislative committee put on hold a similar request from the Nevada Appeal in Carson City. The newspaper wants inmates to sell subscriptions.

Marvel said both he and the prisons system fear the contract would have given the inmates too close access to the media.

Marvel and Sen. Lawrence Jacobsen, R-Minden, praised Skolnik for putting the prison industries program into the black.

The program that employs 375 inmates in prisons around the state reported a $274,210 profit for the nine months ending March 31. During the same period the previous year the net income was $8,971.

In Washington state earlier this year, corrections officials found that prisoners answering calls about the state park system were too loosely monitored.

The 2-year-old program was halted in January after a Redmond woman reported receiving a suggestive Christmas card from Parker Stanphill, a convicted rapist. The woman assumed he was a park ranger and gave him her name and address for brochures.

Sue Zemek, spokeswoman for the Washington Parks Department, said the department is not willing to take further chances.

"Our question is if Corrections can guarantee 100 percent safety," she said. "And if they can't ... we just can't take that risk."