Dutch prisoners harvest leeks for Aldi

According to State Secretary Fred Teeven (Security and Justice) work done by prisoners is finally starting to bring in money - 4.4 million euros last year in fact, De Telegraaf reports. It is relatively unknown that prisoners do work for businesses from prison. Aldi's leeks, for example, are grown and packed by prisoners in Veenhuizen. Prisoners also make furniture and the beds they themselves sleep in. Due to the security needed to supervise such work, putting prisoners to work has always cost more than it yielded. In 2013 this finally started to change with prisoner work yielding a profit of 1.2 million euros. Last year this grew to 4.4 million euro. According to In-Made, the company that regulates all prison work, this is because the sector has been professionalized in recent years. More work was brought in and productivity increased.