←back to thread

Working on databases from prison

(turso.tech)
849 points dvektor | 1 comments | 16 Jun 25 12:32 UTC | HN request time: 0.216s | source
Show context
chatmasta ◴[16 Jun 25 13:29 UTC] No.44289323[source]▶
How does the compensation work? The US prison system has a bit of a nasty reputation when it comes to exploiting prison labor, so I hope those practices aren’t carrying over into these more forward-looking types of initiative… but at the same time, surely Turso isn’t paying full SWE salary?
replies(4): >>44289450 #>>44289601 #>>44289611 #>>44290062 #
laufey ◴[16 Jun 25 13:44 UTC] No.44289450[source]▶
Just curious, why would you expect him to be paid less? I know historically pay is bad for prisoners, but if he's working the same hours and is just as productive as any other employee, shouldn't he be paid the same? I could potentially see paying someone less if they were coming in with much less experience than what's usually hired for in the role, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.
replies(10): >>44289471 #>>44289474 #>>44289478 #>>44289497 #>>44289600 #>>44289616 #>>44289680 #>>44290042 #>>44290080 #>>44292241 #
TheGrumpyBrit ◴[16 Jun 25 14:03 UTC] No.44289600[source]▶
You can make the exact same argument about employers paying different rates depending on the country the employee is based in, and for all the same reasons.

Is there a good reason why a developer in Thailand or India should be paid less than their colleague who works on the same team, but is based in the US? Many companies believe so - there's a significant difference in the cost of living between those two employees, and employers believe it is fair to adjust the salary to provide a similar quality of life to both.

Equally, a person incarcerated in New York City doesn't have the same living costs as a person who has to live in New York City, so you could reasonably argue that any "Cost of living premium" that a company offers to NYC based employees doesn't need to apply to a person who doesn't experience those higher costs.

replies(4): >>44289652 #>>44290008 #>>44290015 #>>44292381 #
1. frakt0x90 ◴[16 Jun 25 14:39 UTC] No.44290008[source]▶
Except prison has some very key differences from living freely in another state or country. You cannot leave and so don't have a choice about where you work. Even if cost of living is low in prison, you often still have to pay for being there and wages are far less than the cost. A prisoner will be released one day and their cost of living will skyrocket overnight. Do we want motivated hard working people leaving prison with nothing so they end up back in the same environment that got them there in the first place?