Venture agreements

(a) The department, working through the correctional industries program, may enter into venture agreements with private persons for the utilization of qualified, able-bodied inmate labor in the manufacture, processing, or assembly of components, finished goods, services, or product lines within facilities owned or leased by the department, or at other sites approved by the director. The department may enter into agreements allowing for shared financing by the administrator and the private contractor for the facility, equipment, raw materials, and operation of industries developed pursuant to this section. The agreements shall be subject to review as to form by the attorney general and by the advisory committee. (b) Qualified, able-bodied inmates producing goods and services under the terms of an agreement authorized by this section shall be paid on a scale to be determined by the director. These payments shall be distributed to offset the cost of imprisonment, incidental expenses, restitution, child support, and to establish funds in trust for the qualified able-bodied inmate upon release in conformance with section 354D-12. (c) The correctional industries program may market goods and services produced under a venture agreement to both the public and private sectors.