Prisoners in the US are part of a hidden workforce linked to hundreds of popular food brands
Prisoners in the US are part of a hidden workforce linked to hundreds of popular food brands
The Associated Press found goods linked to prisoners wind up in the supply chains of everything from Frosted Flakes to Coca-Cola.
"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
Is that what we're calling slaves now? A hidden workforce?
They're not slaves. They get paid
25¢ per hour! /s
There 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!
It's the newest trend in Work From Home.
Introducing..... Work From Cell!
Permanently Deleted
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.
You forgot to mention that the prisons are trauma-factories designed to have "repeat costumers", breaking down people into a million little pieces, to be built up as better, harder, more well connected and well educated criminals.
Who knew, that all these years after, those politicians who called prisons "revolving doors" was sort of correct.
It wasn't because they weren't "hard on crime" enough, but that the court systems and prison systems actively creates repeat offenders.
Reformist prisons may seem more expensive, but it will save society a ton of money in the long run.
Someone tell the politicians.
Something something SOYLENT GREEN!