The normalisation of inmate labour provides us with several puzzling facts. Long before the notion was applied to other aspects of prison life, workshops in nineteenth century penal establishments were emulating outside standards. Yet despite an early start, normalisation has remained limited to the initial aspects of work organisation and has not kept up with the evolution of employment law. Prison workers are not covered by the provisions of a regular work contract and remain excluded from most rights and protections granted to outside workers. This article looks at the reasons for these restrictions and analyses their practical consequences in two European countries: France and Germany.