Prison Industry

It’s Nearly Labor Day, and Congress Has a Chance to Abolish Prison Slavery
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It’s Nearly Labor Day, and Congress Has a Chance to Abolish Prison Slavery

Johnny Perez was arrested and incarcerated two days after his daughter was born, a heart-wrenching fact by itself. Perez wanted to be there for his daughter, but he was stuck at a state prison in Coxsackie, New York. He worked hard to save money, but his prison job sewing bed sheets started at 17 cents…

Laundry soap made by prison labor selling for triple the price | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
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Laundry soap made by prison labor selling for triple the price | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

A popular laundry soap made by prisoners is being sold online at more than three times the list price after production fell due to novel coronavirus restrictions on prison work. Officials believe that scalpers are buying the soap in bulk to make a killing through resale. The Blue Stick soap, billed as a “superstar stain…

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

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

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

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….

Will California and Nevada finally outlaw slavery?
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Will California and Nevada finally outlaw slavery?

Watch our event with a brilliant panel of activists discussing forced prison labor in the U.S. “We have an opportunity to stamp it out once and for all. We’re not going to stop until we get it done,” – Samuel Brown, formerly incarcerated person Lawmakers in California and Nevada are reportedly advancing legislation to remove language from…

Senator Cory Booker Wants To Reform Exploitative Prison Labor In The U.S.
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Senator Cory Booker Wants To Reform Exploitative Prison Labor In The U.S.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced a package of bills Thursday to address unfair labor practices in America’s prison system. The legislation, which is carved into four packages, addresses workplace discrimination, safety and health in prisons, job opportunities for inmates, and fair pay. “The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery ‘except as a punishment for crime,’ but this…

10 Largest Prisons in the World
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10 Largest Prisons in the World

In this article, we will discuss the 10 Largest Prisons in the World. You can skip our industry overview and go directly to the 5 Largest Prisons in the World. The prison industry refers to the set of businesses, operations, and economic activities that are related to the management, construction, and financing of prisons. Owing to…

Yes, incarcerated workers still make license plates
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Yes, incarcerated workers still make license plates

Inmates have produced license plates as part of prison labor programs for more than 100 years, and continue to do so in many U.S. states. Two out of three people incarcerated in state and federal prisons are also workers, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) estimated in a June 2022 report. Deb recently reached out…

Your child’s glasses may have been made with forced prison labor
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Your child’s glasses may have been made with forced prison labor

When Sovannarie was 3 months old, her parents noticed something unusual about their daughter: white opacities in both pupils. Without cataract surgery — and soon — doctors predicted irreversible vision loss. Even if that procedure went perfectly, Sovannarie would need glasses to rehabilitate her eyes and prevent blindness. A decade and many operations later, Sovannarie…