Discrimination in Minimum Wage?!
Sand Ridge in Mauston, about 80 miles northwest of Madison, is where a group of sex offenders who have mental disease work. They work as a means of treatment of their mental disease. They are neither inmate nor prisoner. The reason they are here working for no one is that they’ve been convicted of sexual assault. They have been working for $2 per hour for a long time and now, they are claiming their rights to get paid by minimum wage, which is $6.5 per hour in Wisconsin. They claimed that they are being discriminated against because the mental disease (sexual violent person). Since they are neither inmate nor prisoner, they think they should have the equal right to work, to get paid. The director of the program explained, the reason that they do not get paid by the minimum wage is “that patients receive food, housing, and medicine” (Program Director, Steve, Watters). For me, I think they should get paid at least by the minimum wage. There shouldn’t be any discrimination in working; no matter what kind of people is the labor force. Having mental disease has nothing to do with how many their labors worth. As a matter of fact, there are people working below the minimum wage in black marker. Most of them have to work below minimum wage sometimes because they are illegal worker and sometimes because the pressure of job hunting. Put aside the theories of tax law and staff, I think we should give respects to work, no matter who is providing the work.
9 comments:
I agree with the Program Director saying the sex offenders should not get paid minimum wage since they are provided with all their necessities. These people are receiving more benefits than many people searching for jobs on the black market. Furthermore, they committed a serious crime! If all their necessities are provided, then what is their punishment other than working alone? They should be punished somehow. Furthermore, if they are not allowed around the public, what are they going to spend all the money on? Maybe paying them low wage rates will deter sex offenders from committing crimes.
It is hard to pick a side in this issue. It's true that these workers are being given extra benefits like food and housing, but at the same time that doesn't really make it fair to pay them less than the average worker. Also, how should their criminal past and/or mental disease affect how they are treated? I understand that these people are not like other workers, but that doesn't mean that they should be discriminated against either.
I also agree with the director of the program. If these people are getting free food, housing, and medicine then that should be enough. Actually, if you look at it that way, then people who do not have a mental disease and are working minimum wage jobs for $6.50 an hour are being discrimanted against because it is probably hard for them to even afford food, housing, and medicine. So really these people with a mental disease are recieving more than other people and that is what's not fair.
I believe that the director of the program is correct. They are already receiving food, housing, and medicine; therefore, getting paid less than the minimum wage to me seems very reasonable.
I also agree that the individuals should not get minimum wage, unless they are willing to give up their housing, food, and medicine benefits.
Why should a convicted individual that committed sexual assault given privileges that hard working Americans do not get. It would be senseless. They are not being discriminated at all in this faculty. Yes they are getting paid two dollars an hour, but look at all the free things that they have especially the medicine part. They would most likely be discriminated in the real world more than they would be where they are at right now. So to answer the question, I would vote for them to have minimum wage if you took away the housing , medicine, and food expenditures and made them pay for each of them with there money they are making! If this would not happen, don't allow them to have minimum wage.
I think the $2 an hour is probably more than they deserve. They may be working as a form of therapy, but this sounds to be like a program to keep them technically out of jail. Housing, food, and all living expenses are covered. So when you factor all that in, they are without a doubt making more money than they should be. The minimum wage law should not be applied to these persons.
I think that the director is correct here saying that sex offenders should not receive the minimum wage rate. I do not believe that this is a discrimination on the sex offenders also because it was their choice to committ the crime. Most everything is provided for them so what could they use the extra money for especially since they are not aloud in public places. Not paying the sex offenders minimum wage rate is a punishment for their crime and maybe then people will stop doing the crime as a result.
Sex offenders are people to, and should have the same rights as all other U.S. citizens. Such as minimum wage. With that said rehabilitation practices are why they are working. When you see someone picking up trash in orange suits. They are either doing community service or are giving the chance to work to be able to do something. Criminals are often given jobs to either keep them out of trouble or as a benefit. If they are still serving sentences or given things such as housing and medicine paying them minimum wage seems uneconomical. You win some you lose some. Free housing and medicine counters being paid full for your work.
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