13th Amendment

The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. This amendment, which was one of the most important milestones in the history of the United States, ended the practice of slavery that had been a part of American society since the country’s founding. The 13th Amendment marked a major turning point in the struggle for civil rights and equality in the United States.

 

 

Arizona changed how it sells prisoners to companies. The state raked in millions, but workers were neglected
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Arizona changed how it sells prisoners to companies. The state raked in millions, but workers were neglected

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Clothed in orange with elbow-high rubber gloves and large black masks, a line of workers along a conveyor belt pull lead from cathode-ray tubes. At a construction warehouse, more workers in orange jumpsuits piece together wall frames for single-family homes until one shoots a nail into his knee with a nail gun. At a canning…

U.S. among 17 countries that practice forced labor, a form of ‘modern slavery,’ report finds
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U.S. among 17 countries that practice forced labor, a form of ‘modern slavery,’ report finds

ByEyes on Trafficking News

The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States in 1865, with one exception: compulsory labor in prisons. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States,” it reads. Nearly 160 years later, the United States is one of…

US prisoners have become modern slaves
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US prisoners have become modern slaves

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Birds fly near the US Capitol at sunrise, on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, in this Feb 8, 2022 file photo. [Photo/Agencies] Americans tend to be indignant about “forced labor” in other countries but are unaware of the prevalence of forced labor in their own country. According to a report, “Captive Labor: Exploitation of Incarcerated…

Child Labor Is on the Rise as Republicans See an Answer to Labor Shortages
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Child Labor Is on the Rise as Republicans See an Answer to Labor Shortages

ByEyes on Trafficking News

A grim truth underlies U.S. industry: the appalling practice of child labor, widely perceived as an anachronism, is far from a thing of the sooty industrial past. U.S. consumers may have a hazy sense that children labor somewhere in foreign sweatshops to manufacture their goods — but such faraway tragedies are too easily forgotten at…

Low wages for prison inmates ‘remnants of slavery,’ says lawmaker seeking to outlaw practice
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Low wages for prison inmates ‘remnants of slavery,’ says lawmaker seeking to outlaw practice

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Nevada inmates may be working for as little as 35 cents an hour and having significant portions of their checks withheld by the Nevada Department of Corrections. State Sen. Dina Neal, D-North Las Vegas, wants to change that, the Nevada Current reported. Neal has introduced Senate Bill 187, which would require the Nevada Department of…

Exploiting Prison Workers for Cheap Sheets
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Exploiting Prison Workers for Cheap Sheets

ByEyes on Trafficking News

It took Johnny Perez over four years of making hundreds of bedsheets every day at a factory to reach the top pay tier: about 32 cents an hour, nearly double his starting wage. He was one of the highest-paid workers at Coxsackie Correctional Facility—a textile manufacturer run by the New York State prison system. When…

As other states ban unpaid ‘slave’ prison labor, lawmakers drop plans to tackle issue in Florida
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As other states ban unpaid ‘slave’ prison labor, lawmakers drop plans to tackle issue in Florida

ByEyes on Trafficking News

It’s in your civics classes. The 13th Amendment of the US Constitution, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. But there was one glaring exception clause: if convicted by state courts, incarcerated Americans can be slaves of the state. Four states banned slavery during last year’s general elections — 150 years after enslaved Black…

California lawmakers revive effort to ban involuntary servitude as punishment for crimes
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California lawmakers revive effort to ban involuntary servitude as punishment for crimes

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Last year, voters in Vermont, Oregon, Tennessee and Alabama approved historic ballot measures that removed slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime from their state constitutions, which could lead to limitations on forced prison labor. They joined a growing list of states that passed similar initiatives in recent years, including Nebraska, Utah and Colorado….

California and Nevada may ban forced prison labor, involuntary servitude
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California and Nevada may ban forced prison labor, involuntary servitude

ByEyes on Trafficking News

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lawmakers in Nevada and California are advancing legislation to remove “involuntary servitude” from their states’ constitutions, a move that follows four states’ bans on forced labor that passed in ballot measures last fall. The goal of these proposals is to remove exceptions from the states’ constitutions that allow forced labor as criminal…

Courtney: A look into the issue of underpaid prison labor
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Courtney: A look into the issue of underpaid prison labor

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Prison inmates are humans too. I’ll start this column with a personal note. I’m nearing completion of my master’s degree and initial licensure in 5-12 social studies education, and I’m currently student teaching in a ninth-grade civics and government classroom. I’m preparing for our upcoming unit about the U.S. Constitution, which will include some discussion…