State defends pay in Wilson ball deal 
 
 

DECATUR -- The state is defending a deal where inmates work for Wilson Sporting Goods Inc. for 25 cents an hour inflating and packaging balls destined for retail sale. 

While an inmate has filed suit over the low pay, Department of Corrections spokesman Brian Corbett said Friday the arrangement is legal. 

"By state statute, we have the authority to work an inmate -- for free, theoretically," said Corbett. "That's part of his punishment, that he has to work." 

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of about 100 prisoners at a Decatur work-release center, seeks $425,000 in back wages. 

Wilson did not respond to a phone message left at its Chicago office seeking comment on the work. 

The suit contends both that inmates should be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $5.15 and that state law bars prisoners from manufacturing items for private companies. 

                                                                                                          --The Associated Press