i think our biggest problem is administrators thinking up "creative" (see: ineffective) implementations of poorly drafted laws, which results in them not supporting their staff, which results in students getting neither the education nor the services they need to succeed.

that may just be the school my wife's at tho. hard to see the forest for the trees when you're really interested in this one specific tree.

Oh, thank you, I forget this one isn't common knowledge.

Here's an example of one of these charming companies:

Correctional Industries offers a full range of seating, tables, office and desk systems, files and storage, and office accessories to furnish anything from your reception area to your executive offices.

https://www.washingtonci.com/furniture.html

The "Eligible Customers" page is a real hoot, highly recommend. The summary is that if you've ever touched furniture in any government, university or (many) non-profits in Oregon or Washington (including tribal government guys we should really uh... think about this for a second), or really any surplused office furniture on the west coast, it was almost undoubtedly made with prison labor.

Washington State Correctional Industries offers eligible customers quick and easy access to quality products and services through various authorities provided under the Revised Code of Washington. The following customers are eligible to purchase from Correctional Industries.

• Washington State agencies and political subdivisions of Washington State and Oregon State
• Government agencies and political subdivisions (federal, states, cities, counties, municipalities)
• Certified Not-for-profit organizations
• Participating institutions of higher education (universities, community and technical colleges)
• Public Primary and Secondary Schools
• Tribal/Indian Nation
• Private contractors, when supplying any of the above entities

Now to be totally fair they have greatly improved things in the last five years - it's now not literal slave labor in that people are given a choice (and I will begrudgingly admit it appears to be a genuine choice) of whether to participate and it goes towards both a prisoner's commissary and points off their sentence/towards parole, but fucking still.