刑務所内の作業は、職業訓練・自営作業・生産作業の三つに分かれる。職業訓練には溶接や電気工事、自動車整備など60種ほどあり、自営作業は掃除や洗濯、掃除など施設維持に必要な作業である。受刑者の80％が従事するのが生産作業である。
山奥や離れ小島に施設を設置しては、刑務作業の取引がままならない。輸送に時間やコストがかかってしまう。
刑務所内の作業は私語厳禁である。土日祝祭日と年末年始を除き、1日8時間（例外的に12時間）週40時間労働で、労働基準法が適用されている。
The tasks in prisons are divided into 3 such as job training, house working and producing. Job training includes welding, electric construction, maintaining cars and 60 other varieties. House working includes cleaning and washing, namely tasks related to keep the facility. 80% of prisoners selects producing task.
If the prison is located in mountain or isolated island, it will be difficult to control the tasks. Shipping costs much time and money.
During the tasks in prison, prisoners are not allowed to talk. Without Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, New year's eve and day, they had to work 8 hours in a day under the Labor Standards Act.
「安定した労働力の提供、ローコスト、労務管理の必要がない等、刑務作業の様々な利点が評価され、2010年4月現在、約2,150社にのぼる民間企業にご利用いただいております」（法務省『刑務作業のご案内』）。生産作業を提供しているのは中小企業が多い。取引先企業の倒産や下請けへの発注の減少、人件費の安い海外への生産拠点の移転などの理由から作業の解約傾向が続いている。
"Supplying stable working force, costing less and labor-control free etc., there are many points good for companies in prison workforce. Therefore around 2,150 companies currently apply it as of April, 2010." (Ministry of Justice, A guide of Prison-workforce) Producing is applied by minor business. Bankruptcy, declining of orders or ordering abroad, which costs less make prison-workforce disengaged.
内容はたんすやテーブル、将棋盤、バーベキューセット、前掛けなどの工業・工芸品の製造が主である。作業には報奨金制度が設けられている。作業報奨金は作業成績を基準に見習い工から1等工での10段階に格付けされている。支給金の月額の平均は、現在、4000円弱、出所時の総額の平均は5万円超が30％前後、1万円以下が20%強である。
ところが、長引く不況と産業の空洞化により、この生産作業が激減している。
The work is mainly to produce industrial and craft products such as chests, tables, shogi (Japanese chess) boards, BBQ sets and aprons. A bonus plan is provided for such production work. This production work bonus is ranked into 10 stages, from trainee workers to first-rank workers, based on task performance as a norm. The average amount provided monthly is currently a little less than 4,000 yen, and about 30% of the inmates receive the average total amount of 50,000 yen upon their release from the prison, and those who receive less than 10,000 yen accounts for a little more than 20%.
However, due to the prolonged recession period and the de‐industrialization, this production work has been reduced greatly.
物品の販売や受刑者の労賃で得た刑務所の歳入は1987年の157億円をピークに下がり続け、2000年には100億円を割っている。しかも、厳罰化の流れに伴い、一時期、受刑者数が増加する。作業が減っているのに、受刑者は増える。この受刑者一人当たり年250万円は経費がかかる。刑務所も社会情勢を反映する。それは、不景気になれば、犯罪者が増えるといった直観的な話だけではない。日本の産業構造や人口構成の変化は刑務所内の状況にも影響を及ぼす。
The revenue prisons earned from selling goods and generating from inmates' production work has continually been reduced since the peak year of 1987 where the revenue was 15.7 billion Japanese yen, and in year 2000, it dropped below the level of 10 billion Japanese yen. Additionally, with the movement of severe punishment, the number of inmates increased at one point. The production work has decreased, but the number of inmates has increased. A cost of at least 2.5 million Japanese yen is required for one inmate per year. Social conditions are reflected even on the prisons. This is more than a intuitive story that the worse the situation gets, the more criminals we get. Even Japan's industrial structures and population composition affect the situation within the prisons.
平成16年版犯罪白書はその意義について次のように述べている。
受刑者の中には、勤労習慣を持たない者、自己中心的で協調性を欠く者，忍耐力に乏しい者などが少なからず含まれているが、刑務作業を通じて、1規則正しい勤労習慣と規律ある生活態度を身に付けさせる、2心身の健康を維持する、3他人との共同作業を通じて社会生活への順応性を養う，4勤労意欲及び職業的な知識・技能を養う、5忍耐力や集中力を養うといった効果が期待されており、刑務作業は、我が国の行刑上重要な位置を占めている。
In Crime Report 2004, the signification to this point is indicated as follows.
There are some who have no labor practice, some who are self-oriented and lack spirits of cooperation, and some who do not have much patience among inmates. Through prison work, these inmates are expected to gain the results of : (1) learning regular labor practice and disciplined daily manners, (2) maintaining their mental and physical health, (3) developing adaptability to social lives through group work with others, (4) cultivating the will to work and professional knowledge and skills, (5) cultivating the patience and concentration. As such, prison work holds an important position as the country's prison administration.
