A community resource for the acquisition workforce not a .gov website
part52.dev Federal Acquisition Clause Monitor
FAR Clause ACTIVE

52.222-3

Convict Labor.
View on acquisition.gov · View on eCFR.gov
Effective Date
JUN 2003
Active Deviations
1
Versions
1 (since 2017-01-01)
RFO
RFO Version Available

The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul has published a revised version of this clause. The RFO version supersedes the eCFR text below for contracts using the RFO model; see the RFO deviation for applicability.

View RFO version
DEV
This clause is modified by 1 active class deviation
  • 2026-O0023 — DFARS RFO Implementation (Part 37)
    Add clause 52.222-3
View per-deviation details →
52.222-3 Convict Labor.

As prescribed in 22.202, insert the following clause:

Convict Labor (JUN 2003)

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this clause, the Contractor shall not employ in the performance of this contract any person undergoing a sentence of imprisonment imposed by any court of a State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

(b) The Contractor is not prohibited from employing persons—

(1) On parole or probation to work at paid employment during the term of their sentence;

(2) Who have been pardoned or who have served their terms; or

(3) Confined for violation of the laws of any of the States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands who are authorized to work at paid employment in the community under the laws of such jurisdiction, if—

(i) The worker is paid or is in an approved work training program on a voluntary basis;

(ii) Representatives of local union central bodies or similar labor union organizations have been consulted;

(iii) Such paid employment will not result in the displacement of employed workers, or be applied in skills, crafts, or trades in which there is a surplus of available gainful labor in the locality, or impair existing contracts for services;

(iv) The rates of pay and other conditions of employment will not be less than those paid or provided for work of a similar nature in the locality in which the work is being performed; and

(v) The Attorney General of the United States has certified that the work-release laws or regulations of the jurisdiction involved are in conformity with the requirements of Executive Order 11755, as amended by Executive Orders 12608 and 12943.

(End of clause)

[68 FR 28085, May 22, 2003]
RFO
Prescription superseded under the RFO

The prescription shown below is from the codified eCFR. The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul relocates this clause's prescription as follows:

  • 22.20222.201-2 (prescriptive text also revised)
  • 237.7204PGI 237.7204 (prescriptive text also revised)

See the deviation memorandum for the current prescription authority.

View deviation: 2026-O0023 →

R-DFARS Prescription Source

This clause is prescribed in the R-DFARS by the following deviation:

  • 2026-O0023 — DFARS RFO Implementation (Part 37) (DFARS Part 237)
    Add clause 52.222-3
22.202
Insert the clause at 52.222-3, Convict Labor, in solicitations and contracts above the micro-purchase threshold, when the contract will be performed in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands; unless-

(a) The contract will be subject to 41 U.S.C. chapter 65, (see subpart 22.6), which contains a separate prohibition against the employment of convict labor;

(b) The supplies or services are to be purchased from Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (see subpart 8.6); or

(c) The acquisition involves the purchase, from any State prison, of finished supplies that may be secured in the open market or from existing stocks, as distinguished from supplies requiring special fabrication.
Prescription data sourced from eCFR as of 2026-06-10 03:16 UTC. Cross-references within the prescription are not resolved automatically.

Regulatory Stack

The layers of regulation that govern this clause, from the FAR prescription through agency-specific supplements and any active deviations.

RFO RFO Version Overhauled clause text
The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul publishes a revised version of this clause. See the RFO Version tab for the controlling authority under the RFO model.

Search on acquisition.gov

R-DFARS R-DFARS Prescription Per Deviation 2026-O0023 (DFARS Part 237)
2026-O0023: DFARS RFO Implementation (Part 37) — DFARS Part 237

View Deviation 2026-O0023 →

FAR FAR Prescription ⚠ May be superseded by RFO 22.202
Insert the clause at 52.222-3, Convict Labor, in solicitations and contracts above the micro-purchase threshold, when the contract will be performed in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands; unless-

(a) The contract will be subject to 41 U.S.C. chapter 65, (see subpart 22.6), which contains a separate prohibition against the employment of convict labor;

(b) The supplies or services are to be purchased from Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (see subpart 8.6); or

(c) The acquisition involves the purchase, from any State prison, of finished supplies that may be secured in the open market or from existing stocks, as distinguished from supplies requiring special fabrication.

View on acquisition.gov · View on eCFR.gov

Version History

Version history is sourced from the codified eCFR. Changes published only as class deviations or by the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul do not appear here until they are incorporated into the eCFR. For RFO-driven changes see the RFO Version tab and any active deviations cited above.

No version history available from eCFR.

RFO Version

Comparison of the codified eCFR text against the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul revision. Highlights show additions (green) and deletions (red, struck through).

Clause Text

Minor revisions. The RFO version has formatting or editorial changes from the eCFR text.
eCFR (codified)
RFO (implemented)
Unchanged
52.222-3 Convict Labor.
eCFR (codified)
RFO (implemented)
1 added, 1 removed
As prescribed in 22.202, insert the following clause:
As prescribed in 22.201-2, insert the following clause:
2 added, 2 removed
Convict Labor (JUN 2003)
Convict Labor (Deviation DATE)
1 added, 1 removed
(a)
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this clause, the Contractor shall not employ in the performance of this contract any person undergoing a sentence of imprisonment imposed by any court of a State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
(a)
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this clause, the Contractor must not employ in the performance of this contract any person undergoing a sentence of imprisonment imposed by any court of a State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
1 added, 2 removed
(v)
(v) The Attorney General of the United States has certified that the work-release laws or regulations of the jurisdiction involved are in conformity with the requirements of Executive Order 11755, as amended by Executive Orders 12608 and 12943.
(v)
(v) The Attorney General of the United States has certified that the work-release laws or regulations of the jurisdiction involved are in conformity with the requirements of Executive Order11755, as amended by Executive Orders 12608 and 12943.
6 removed
[68 FR 28085, May 22, 2003]
Applied to DoD contracts via Class Deviation 2026-O0023 (effective 2026-02-01) .

Prescription

Substantive changes. The RFO prescription differs materially from the eCFR prescription.
eCFR (codified)
RFO (implemented)
Unchanged
52.222-3 Convict Labor.: Prescription
eCFR (codified)
RFO (implemented)
42 added, 35 removed
Insert the clause at 52.222-3, Convict Labor, in solicitations and contracts above the micro-purchase threshold, when the contract will be performed in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands; unless-
Executive Order 11755, December 29, 1973, as amended by Executive Order 12608, September 9, 1987, and Executive Order 12943, December 13, 1994, does not prohibit the contractor, in performing the contract, from employing certain persons as stated in paragraph (b) of the clause at 52.222-3, Convict Labor.
25 removed
(a)
(a) The contract will be subject to 41 U.S.C. chapter 65, (see subpart 22.6), which contains a separate prohibition against the employment of convict labor;
(a)
18 removed
(b)
(b) The supplies or services are to be purchased from Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (see subpart 8.6); or
(b)
32 removed
(c)
(c) The acquisition involves the purchase, from any State prison, of finished supplies that may be secured in the open market or from existing stocks, as distinguished from supplies requiring special fabrication.
(c)

Source: acquisition.gov RFO Part 52 · Prescribing Part 22

Active Class Deviations

DFARS RFO Implementation (Part 37) Add clause 52.222-3
MODIFIED

Related Clauses

Referenced by

52.212-5 52.213-4
Use with AI assistant
Copy a link and prompt for use with Gemini or another AI assistant.