In 1865, Congress passed the Thirteenth Amendment, an important moment in U.S. history that is celebrated for ending end the horrific practice of slavery across the country. However, the framers of the Thirteenth Amendment included an insidious exception that would allow slavery as punishment for crime. This exception clause enabled continuation of slavery through a series of racist carceral policies, including Black Codes and “convict leasing,” that have culminated in today’s crisis of mass incarceration.
People who are incarcerated and detained across our country are disproportionately Black and brown and forced to work for little to no pay under the threat of additional punitive measures, such as the loss of family visits and solitary confinement. This forced labor is pervasive and takes many surprising forms: farming crops, fighting wildfires, staffing call centers and DMV offices, stamping license plates, and much more. Incarcerated people work for for-profit corporations, government businesses, and even the facilities where they are imprisoned.
Thirteenth Amendment
“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, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
Whether incarcerated individuals are required to work for free or for pennies, the Thirteenth Amendment protects the practice of forced prison labor and creates the conditions for exploitation and dehumanization. As much as $18 billion in wages is stolen from incarcerated workers and their families each year. But perhaps the biggest toll comes from the inherent violence that slavery wages on the human spirit.
Over the next few months, Worth Rises will be going in depth on the different ways prison labor is exploited by both government agencies and the private sector. We will be tackling:
Prison Labor in Agriculture: People in prison are still picking cotton for no pay on plantations converted to prisons
The Labor of Maintenance: Prisons and jails don’t run or maintain themselves, incarcerated workers do
Alternatives to Incarceration: How corporations secure free labor through court ultimatums
All forms of forced prison labor are unethical and must end. The #EndTheException campaign, supported by more than 90 national organizations, is working to do just that by passing the Abolition Amendment. Support the campaign by visiting EndTheException.com and sharing this series about prison labor with your friends and family. We all have a role to play.