U.S. Constitution

Inside Louisiana’s forced prison labor and a failed overhaul attempt
|

Inside Louisiana’s forced prison labor and a failed overhaul attempt

ByEyes on Trafficking News

BATON ROUGE – Breakfast at Louisiana’s state Capitol includes fresh coffee, cookies and egg sandwiches – made and served in part by incarcerated people working for no pay. “They force us to work,” said Jonathan Archille, 29, who is among more than a dozen current and formerly incarcerated people in Louisiana who told the Washington…

Inside Louisiana’s forced prison labor and a failed overhaul attempt
|

Inside Louisiana’s forced prison labor and a failed overhaul attempt

ByEyes on Trafficking News

BATON ROUGE – Breakfast at Louisiana’s state Capitol includes fresh coffee, cookies and egg sandwiches – made and served in part by incarcerated people working for no pay. “They force us to work,” said Jonathan Archille, 29, who is among more than a dozen current and formerly incarcerated people in Louisiana who told the Washington…

‘You’re a slave’: Inside Louisiana’s forced prison labor and a failed overhaul attempt
|

‘You’re a slave’: Inside Louisiana’s forced prison labor and a failed overhaul attempt

ByEyes on Trafficking News

BATON ROUGE — Breakfast at Louisiana’s state Capitol includes fresh coffee, cookies and egg sandwiches — made and served in part by incarcerated people working for no pay. “They force us to work,” said Jonathan Archille, 29, who is among more than a dozen current and formerly incarcerated people in Louisiana who told The Washington…

The story behind why Louisiana voted against a ban on slavery
|

The story behind why Louisiana voted against a ban on slavery

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Last week, Louisiana voters struck down an amendment to its constitution that would have prohibited slavery and involuntary servitude. The four other states where slavery was on the ballot – Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont – approved similar referenda. Louisiana was put in the national spotlight for rejecting the change. Trevor Noah did an entire…

End of slavery exception in state constitutions could reform prison labor
|

End of slavery exception in state constitutions could reform prison labor

ByEyes on Trafficking News

In the days when the COVID-19 virus was new, less understood and more deadly, officials in Louisiana turned to state prison inmates to produce essential but scarce products to slow the rapid spread of the virus. There were occupational hazards and health concerns for the imprisoned people mixing chemicals to create hard-to-find hand sanitizer. For…

U.S. voters reject slavery ‘exception’ in midterm elections
| | |

U.S. voters reject slavery ‘exception’ in midterm elections

ByEyes on Trafficking News

This week, voters in five American states were balloted on wording in their constitutions that permits slavery as a punishment for crime. Tennessee, Alabama, Vermont and Oregon voters chose to fully abolish legal slavery in all forms in their jurisdictions. The punishment or exception clause in the Thirteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states, “Neither…

Slavery rejected in some, not all, states where on ballot
|

Slavery rejected in some, not all, states where on ballot

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Voters in four states have approved ballot measures that will change their state constitutions to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime, while those in a fifth state rejected a flawed version on the question. The measures approved Tuesday could curtail the use of prison labor in Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont. In…

Slavery rejected in some, not all, states where it was on the ballot
| | | |

Slavery rejected in some, not all, states where it was on the ballot

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Voters in three states approved ballot measures that will change their state constitutions to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime, while those in a fourth state rejected the move. The measures approved Tuesday curtail the use of prison labor in Alabama, Tennessee and Vermont. In Oregon, “yes” was leading its anti-slavery ballot initiative, but…

Abuses on US bases in Persian Gulf ensnare legions of migrant workers – Stars and Stripes
| |

Abuses on US bases in Persian Gulf ensnare legions of migrant workers – Stars and Stripes

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Foreign workers (migrant workers) for defense contractors on at least four U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf are trapped in their jobs by abusive employment practices that they say prevent them from returning home or even looking for better work in the region, more than 30 current and former workers said in interviews. Many…