Many of us borrow our understanding of prison labor from pop culture. Think Shawshank Redemption, men tarring roofs paid in cigarettes and beers. But, as we recently learned, the truth is very different.
Correctional Industries: How Governments Exploit Prison Labor to Subsidize Their Budgets
There is a common misconception that private corporations are the primary beneficiaries of forced prison labor due to viral exposés of corporate exploitation by brands like Burger King. However, while private corporations may be the most vile beneficiaries of prison labor given their for-profit interests, federal, state, and local governments are the primary beneficiaries.
Prison Labor and The Private Sector: The Corporate Exploitation of Prison Labor Reaches Deep into the Supply Chain
When Congress passed the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, they included a crucial exception clause that allows for slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime. This clause has resulted in the forced labor of millions of people in our prisons and jails since, and the first beneficiaries of this labor were private corporations.