IPI (Iowa Prison Industries) is the work arm of the Iowa Department of Corrections, providing incarcerated individuals with the opportunity for Building Brighter Futures through our work training programs.
IPI’s work training programs are one of the most successful programs in reducing recidivism – the likelihood that a released individual will return to prison. Since more than 90% of Iowa’s prison population will eventually be released (almost 5,000 every year), the work programs of IPI are vital to the safety and security of Iowa. Statistics show that 38% of these released inmates return to prison with 3 years, but work training reduces this number by 8%.
IPI is 100% self-funding and relies on the sales of our products and services to fund these valuable incarcerated individual training programs.
IPI is comprised of 3 programs:
- Traditional Industries: Available to purchase by governmental agencies, school districts, non-profit groups and employees of these organizations
- IPI Farms: Row crops, garden, and cow-calf operations in several locations throughout Iowa
- Private Sector Work Programs: Partnerships with private sector companies on or off institution grounds
In total, IPI employs over 800 incarcerated men and women daily in one of our work programs, accounting for over one million hours of work training in the course of a year.
Iowa Prison Industries has an Advisory Board consisting of private citizens representing banking, education, agriculture, labor, voc-education and one member of the parole board. Board meetings are held quarterly and are open to the public.