Reform advocates are calling for an increase in prisoners’ pay rates, currently ranging from 20 to 60 cents an hour, which they label as akin to slave labour. Despite a High Court judge ruling that the Minister for Corrections failed to set new rates, the corrections minister has approved new rates but did not increase them, leading critics to deem them inadequate. Ex-prisoner Thomas Cheng, who won a case against Corrections over pay rates, emphasized the importance of fair pay in prisoner rehabilitation, highlighting the need for financial incentives to support their reintegration into society.
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