New York's prisoners go to work - or else.

• Position: Prison inmates - On First Reading

Inmates in New York prisons have a strong incentive to participate in the state's mandatory work program. If they don't, they are locked in their cells 23 hours a day and discredited when they come up for parole.

Called one of the toughest in the nation, the work policy was put in place last year to counter the perception that inmates have an easy life. Working also prepares prisoners for jobs after they are released and helps pay for incarceration--a cost estimated at $25,000 a year per inmate.

The work program is part of a broader policy of classifying all inmates according to their background, education and risk and then assigning them to the programs most likely to keep them from committing future crimes.

Inmates who read below the fifth-grade level attend classes all day. Those who can read at levels between the fifth and eight grade go to classes half a day and attend vocational training programs suitable to their aptitude the other half day. Once they have completed eight-grade courses, they are required to work all day. Inmates who want to work on a GED or take college classes may do so, but in the evening or on weekends.

Inmates can no longer dabble in one vocational program after another. Under the new policy, they must achieve basic academic skills, participate in suitable training and then work full time in that field.

Prison work today is more than making license plates. In New York, inmates in 15 prisons produce a complete line of office furniture, metal cabinets and cleaning supplies for state and local government agencies. They also remodel government offices.

Inmates who participate successfully in education and work programs can acquire an "earned eligibility certificate"...