Prisoners in the US are part of a hidden workforce linked to hundreds of popular food brands
https://apnews.com/article/prison-to-plate-inmate-labor-investigation-c6f0eb4747963283316e494eadf08c4eOpen linkView original on lemmy.cafeSyndicated from the fediverse. Read and engage on the original instance.
View original on lemmy.cafehttps://apnews.com/article/prison-to-plate-inmate-labor-investigation-c6f0eb4747963283316e494eadf08c4eOpen linkView original on lemmy.cafe
11 replies
"But thanks to Reaganomics, prison turned to profits
'Cause free labor's the cornerstone of US economics
'Cause slavery was abolished, unless you are in prison
You think I am bullshittin', then read the 13th Amendment
Involuntary servitude and slavery it prohibits
That's why they givin' drug offenders time in double digits."
Killer Mike - Reagan
Fuck Ronald Regan
Few months ago, I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages.
My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true.
But the facts and the evidence tell me it is not.
Is that what we're calling slaves now? A hidden workforce?
They're not slaves. They get paid
25¢ per hour! /sThere was a plan at one point to outsource drive through window speaker boxes to prison labor. Not sure whatever became of that.
And that's if they're lucky!
https://www.al.com/news/2023/12/fast-food-chains-use-alabama-prison-inmates-as-slave-labor-lawsuit-alleges.html
It's the newest trend in Work From Home.
Introducing..... Work From Cell!
Before I started reading that article, I was slightly in support of prison labor. Everything I read about incarceration is that it's incredibly expensive.
I thought it would understandable to help offset the costs, not actually make money. I didn't see anything in the article that put over all costs and profits into context. I can't imagine those systems are actually generating more money than the total costs of incarceration, but I have no idea.
Then I got to the parts about safety, inappropriate/illegal? coercion, and abuse. I know there's some worse places to be in prison in the world, but still.
We used to make people do stupid shit like break rocks just for punishment, but I don't see how that rehabilitates. Learning job skills is good, nice to hear a few people were bettered and got jobs, but legislators in those states probably need to be harassed until we get prisoners treated in appropriate ways.
The problem is the prisons are for profit.
Prisons get money from state for taking care of prisoners
Prisons put workers to work at slave wages.
State reps get kickbacks from Prisons to encourage more incarceration.
Police happily target black people and minorities and get them sent to prison
Prisoners work for slave wages
Rinse repeat.
If the Prisons were state run not for profit, this might work out better, but that's often not the case.
Good points.
Got a really good laugh from repeat costumers auto correct lol.
Something something SOYLENT GREEN!