Prison service sells gifts made by convicts

The new site was launched on November 1st and features a diverse range of goods, including dog baskets and handbags made from recycled jeans. The website promises “gift ideas for any occasion”.

“Many of our prisoners are talented craftsmen,” said Peter Prechtl, spokesman for the prison service.

He added that they were often employed when the prison service needed construction work, and were given a variety of training opportunities to learn new skills and crafts.

Any profits made from the sale of gift items goes back to the prison service and all prisoners who are employed are paid a normal salary according to their experience, minus social insurance contributions.