Force prisoners to work in call centres

Capt'n Midnight · 14-01-2012 02:54PM #1

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/12/10140493-inside-the-secret-industry-of-inmate-staffed-call-centers?ocid=twitter

everybody wins

cheap call centres
income source for prisons
inmates learn a skill

and the experienced guys don't move to a different call centre and no one has a hangover

so what companies would use them here ?

Overheal · 14-01-2012 02:54PM

did anyone else read that as Pensioners?

MagicSean · 14-01-2012 02:54PM

Learn a skill?

Bonavox · 14-01-2012 02:55PM

I wouldn't feel comfortable talking to an inexperienced prisoner in a call centre.

Bannasidhe · 14-01-2012 02:56PM

I wouldn't feel comfortable having someone convicted of a crime having access to my personal details.

phasers · 14-01-2012 02:57PM

What about people who work in call centres now? Would they all just be sacked?

AngryBollix · 14-01-2012 02:58PM

Tuk Ur Jab

Mint Sauce · 14-01-2012 02:59PM

I hate calling call centres as it is, and i've worked in one.

:eek:

marketty · 14-01-2012 02:59PM

AngryBollix wrote: »

Tuk Ur Jab

They turk his jerb!!

dr strangelove · 14-01-2012 03:04PM

i'd say that falls under the 'cruel and unusual punishments' banner...?

Encrypted Pigeon · 14-01-2012 03:06PM

Why force? I'm sure many would volunteer for an opportunity like that. Would be great way of rehabilitation.

Dudess · 14-01-2012 03:08PM

Bonavox wrote: »

I wouldn't feel comfortable talking to an inexperienced prisoner in a call centre.

Ah I dunno. "How much gear do you want?" is customer service experience of sorts...

Owen · 14-01-2012 03:10PM

"I want to speak to your supervisor!"
"OH YEAH? I WANT TO STAB YOU IN THE EYE AND I HAVE YOUR ADDRESS ON THE SCREEN IN FRONT OF ME!"

Nodin · 14-01-2012 03:11PM

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/12/10140493-inside-the-secret-industry-of-inmate-staffed-call-centers?ocid=twitter

everybody wins

Except unemployed call centre staff.

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

cheap call centres
income source for prisons
inmates learn a skill

and the experienced guys don't move to a different call centre and no one has a hangover

so what companies would use them here ?

What companies would use them? Given the normal concern shown for citizens, civic duty and society in general shown in certain quarters, I'd say 99% of them, given half a chance.

krudler · 14-01-2012 03:11PM

Sintel wrote: »

Why force? I'm sure many would volunteer for an opportunity like that. Would be great way of rehabilitation.

speaking as a call centre worker, its an environment that would send anyone into a mass murdering rampage, never mind a convicted criminal.

Ellis Dee · 14-01-2012 03:12PM

A lot of call centres are being closed down and moved to India anyway.:rolleyes:

I've got a better idea about prisoners, though, and I've proposed it before, but no one will take me seriously.

At the moment, it costs about €120,000 a year to keep one inmate in an Irish prison.:eek:

Why not outsource that function to India? So many other things are being outsourced there anyway.

We could pick out some of the most vicious repeat violent offenders, those who show no sign of wanting to gain a useful trade while inside, who do not attend anger-management courses while inside, and so on ---

Then I'm sure we could do a deal with India to send them to prison there. At, say, €20,000 per prisoner and year, the Indians would have a nice little earner, and we'd save €100,000 per scumbag.:)

I doubt whether the Indian authorities would think of putting them to work in call centres, though, as they certainly have too much respect for their own honest and highly trained citizens who work, as free persons, in call centres. And so should we.:)

An additional benefit would be that prisoners returning to Ireland after a few years in Bengaluru would probably have greater respect for the law and a stronger inclination to remain on the straight and narrow.:cool:

Coriolanus · 14-01-2012 03:15PM

"Ok sir, and if I can just have your credit card details..."

Cool_CM · 14-01-2012 03:16PM

This could probably work out well for call centre workers in general. People might be less inclined to shout abuse down the phone if they know that there is a chance that the person that they are abusing is a convicted criminal who has access to their personal details.

entropi · 14-01-2012 03:25PM

And the people working in call centres already...they surely have no choice but to give up their job to convicts? Rehabilitiation it is not.

Taking someone's job away, so they can possibly face a nice fat paycut while they increase the dole queues? It is.

44leto · 14-01-2012 03:49PM

Put them all in a punitive coma,

OP there is about 600 things wrong with your proposal. Did you really think this was a goer.

Bannasidhe · 14-01-2012 03:53PM

Ellis Dee wrote: »

A lot of call centres are being closed down and moved to India anyway.:rolleyes:

I've got a better idea about prisoners, though, and I've proposed it before, but no one will take me seriously.

At the moment, it costs about €120,000 a year to keep one inmate in an Irish prison.:eek:

Why not outsource that function to India? So many other things are being outsourced there anyway.

We could pick out some of the most vicious repeat violent offenders, those who show no sign of wanting to gain a useful trade while inside, who do not attend anger-management courses while inside, and so on ---

Then I'm sure we could do a deal with India to send them to prison there. At, say, €20,000 per prisoner and year, the Indians would have a nice little earner, and we'd save €100,000 per scumbag.:)

I doubt whether the Indian authorities would think of putting them to work in call centres, though, as they certainly have too much respect for their own honest and highly trained citizens who work, as free persons, in call centres. And so should we.:)

An additional benefit would be that prisoners returning to Ireland after a few years in Bengaluru would probably have greater respect for the law and a stronger inclination to remain on the straight and narrow.:cool:

Outsourcing prisons - wasn't that originally the point of Australia?

Cianos · 14-01-2012 04:05PM

Bannasidhe wrote: »

Outsourcing prisons - wasn't that originally the point of Australia?

Yes. And thankfully to this day, most Australians are still in Australia.

boobar · 14-01-2012 04:07PM

They tried this idea in Oz.....the prison drama....not the country.

It didn't work out too well, from what I remember

Bannasidhe · 14-01-2012 04:07PM

Cianos wrote: »

Yes. And thankfully to this day, most Australians are still in Australia.

Apart from all the ones in the Victoria area of London...and Kyle Minogue.

Peetrik · 14-01-2012 04:07PM

They tried this in HBO's "Oz".

I can't remember how it ended but I'm sure it all went well and no body was raped

Temptamperu · 14-01-2012 04:18PM

Peetrik wrote: »

They tried this in HBO's "Oz".

I can't remember how it ended but I'm sure it all went well and no body was raped

Nope it all went wrong and there where several rapes... one with the fat end of a spoon :P

BunShopVoyeur · 14-01-2012 04:42PM

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/12/10140493-inside-the-secret-industry-of-inmate-staffed-call-centers?ocid=twitter

everybody wins

cheap call centres
income source for prisons
inmates learn a skill

and the experienced guys don't move to a different call centre and no one has a hangover

so what companies would use them here ?

Jesus, that's a bit harsh don't you think?

Poor feckers don't deserve that...

syklops · 14-01-2012 05:31PM

MagicSean wrote: »

Learn a skill?

My first job after leaving school (after being director of my own company) was in a call centre. On the one hand it was the ****test experience of my life, on the other hand I met friends there that became life long friends. So thats good. It also paid the bills for 3-4 years. Why give that to prisoners and take it away from the likes of me?

FatherLen · 14-01-2012 05:33PM

coming from experience, there is no skill to be learned from working in a call centre.

HavingCrack · 14-01-2012 05:38PM

FatherLen wrote: »

coming from experience, there is no skill to be learned from working in a call centre.

This really is true, unless you intend to continue working in call centres they provide you with very little if any skills that transfer to other jobs.

AnonoBoy · 14-01-2012 05:38PM

"Hi I'd like to enquire about getting a replacement for my wireless router please."
- F*ck you man.
"What?"
- You heard me bitch.
"What?"
- Say 'what' again. I dare ya, I double dare ya. Say 'what' again motherf*cker.

As you can see from the above transcript from a call I made to eircom customer support last year, I believe that prisoners would only improve things.

Force prisoners to work in call centres

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