Plate shop a means to an end

WARREN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Every two weeks, the Secretary of State's office puts in a big order for new license plates. And all of them are made by inmates at the Maine State Prison.

The process begins with huge rolls of aluminum -- big enough to make nine hundred sets of plates.

The plate shop is one of the most sought after positions for inmates. Inmates working at the shop get paid five dollars an hour. Some inmates use their pay for gifts for family members -- others are earning money for restitution payments.

Most of the plate shop workers here have fewer than 6 months left in their sentences.

Maine's first license plates were manufactured in 1905. Some other states are now using laser technology to put the plate numbers on instead of the press. The Secretary of State's office says it doesn't seem cost effective enough for Maine to switch to that system just yet -- but they're always reviewing new technology just in case.