According to a new report by VICE, the state inmates tasked by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo with producing hand sanitizer for distribution to needy institutions are not actually making the sanitizer — they’re just repackaging an already-made solution from an unnamed vendor.
Earlier this month, Cuomo announced at a press briefing that in lieu of increased demand for hand sanitizer the state had begun producing its own solution, dubbed NYS Clean, at a fraction of the cost. The product was to be sent to governmental agencies, schools, prisons, and other organizations that “can’t get it on the market” due to price gouging.
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But that’s simply not the case, according to a spokesperson for the prison system:
According to a [New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s Division of Industries] spokesperson, the hand sanitizer itself is being produced by an outside vendor he would not name; the Great Meadow Facility is only bottling and labeling it. Neither NYSDOCCS nor the governor’s office would respond to repeated questions about why the state would need to use prison labor to bottle hand sanitizer, nor did the governor’s office respond to questions about Cuomo’s pitch that this was a cheaper, more effective option than buying bottled hand sanitizer outright.
VICE also spoke to several inmate workers at Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Comstock, where “NYS Clean” is being “made,” including one under the condition of anonymity who the outlet refers to as Michael. Michael also acknowledged that he and the other workers are simply bottling the solution. – READ MORE
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