Michael Silverman, a Whole Foods spokesman, said the company had sourced the products because the program was a way to "help people get back on their feet and eventually become contributing members of society." On its website, CCI says its mission is to train inmates with skills and work ethics that help them secure employment after release. Inmate work is typically used for government needs, such as the production of license plates or office furniture for state agencies, said Marc Mauer, executive director of The Sentencing Project, and criminal justice research and advocacy group. Mauer said the issue is complicated; the programs can benefit inmates by giving them productive work and training in useful skills, but there's potential for exploitation, since companies typically pay far less for prison labor than they otherwise would.