Captive Market

Among TCI's biggest customers are school districts, many of them in the Houston area. Colleen Wells, a purchasing agent for Cypress-Fairbanks schools, says her district in the current school year has purchased almost $72,000 worth of TCI products, mostly cleaning supplies and furniture.

"They have excellent pricing and good quality on those products," says Wells. "This is just my personal opinion, but I think it's the right thing to do. We have that labor force available, so why not use it?"

Boegnik says, "If they want to train these people that's one thing, but when you're out there trying to take business away from hardworking Americans…"

But Boegnik's company is also helping to take jobs away from regular workers, albeit unwillingly. Her company sells chairs to several state agencies in Washington. A few years ago she began participating in a PIE program there, to use inmates to assemble and package her chairs.

"We were told that if we wanted to keep the business, we had to partner with them," says Boegnik.

Peña remains unconvinced. "They're learning a trade -- that's good. But they're taking away business from us. It sucks when you don't even have a chance."