It's basically slavery. I'm willing to bet that most of these people working were black too.

It was horrible to do to people that you claim to be 'rehabilitating'. Now it's going to be done to whatever marginalized group is next in the list, and provided no actual challenge or resistance, that list will grow to include people in trade unions, educated professionals, entertainers, free thinkers, any type of dissenter, oh and they've already dog whistled their plan to 'punish' people who donated to the Harris campaign.

Meanwhile the Trump administration is dismantling agencies that track and fight child/human trafficking. It's not by coincidence. The goal is that we all are essentially assets of the federal government that can be bought, sold, and/or stripped of citizenship if it becomes useful to the regime.

He was told he would serve 10 ½ years and avoid a possible death penalty, but it wasn’t until 2021 that a sympathetic judge finally released him. He was 73.

note: he was released because he wasn't usable as a prison laborer anymore. he was released because the prison couldn't make money off him anymore. he was released so he has to look for his own shelter.

Willie Ingram picked everything from cotton to okra during his 51 years in the state penitentiary, better known as Angola.

Fake news, this country only got fucked after Trump got elected or bush or reagan. It was all sunshine and peaches otherwise.

gReAtEsT cOuNtRtY iN tHe wOrLd

-most yankistanis

Built into the constitution, in fact. 13th amendment.

Once it's in an amendment, it can't be changed again. Them's the rules.

Not always. I'm sure it won't be a nation someday.

Guess I won't be eating food any more

I think it would be better to state the specific products rather than call out grocery stores at large. With this info I cant write a letter to Costco telling them I think they should drop a product and why

I love how there's actual companies like Coke, Pepsi, McD's, BK, Aldi, and then there's Kellog's Rice Krispies - Guess anything else Kellog's is fine then.

Except if it's from Aldi.

I have previously read that basically every Fortune 500 company has divisions that profit off of prison labor.

Who "sell" products? Which ones makes them?

The question to me is how could we fix it. I believe prison should be about herabilitation, but overall I'd say most of the population does not. Someone gets a DUI, robs a store, commits fraud, gets in a fight, beats their spouse, stabs someone, murders someone... whatever it is. People say they should be imprisoned, many say they should never be let out especially on multiple offenses. Most of the prisoners take the jobs because it is used as a "privilege.". You have to have good behavior to be eligible, then you choose one if you want with benefits that slowly "work off" hours of their sentences. (If it's available). Certain jobs pay more time off their sentences than others, and some will try to get into those jobs. Yet we will have people who scream that they shouldn't be let out after 5 years because they "insert crime here".

IF leaving their imprisonment and performing tasks in the world around people with good behavior isn't a step to proving they are re-integratable into society, what is? I would say they need a hell of a lot more therapy, access to actual healthcare, psychologists, and resources that allow for easy integration back into society so they can find gainful employment, cut ties with their past and land on two feet to be able to move forward without extreme struggles that bring them back in.

Our country doesn't vote for that, because those same things aren't available for citizens on the street who didn't commit crimes yet. And they think they are better and don't deserve less opportunities than those who did something illegal.

So I guess what I'm saying is the first step to reforming our prisons is reforming our healthcare system... And wage inequality... And fuck... It's not going anywhere

"Slavery is now American Work Freedom Plus (tm)"

73 violations involving slave labour, 1 with child labour, am I reading that right?

A lot of companies here as well have legal provisions in the contracts we have with external vendors to state anti-slavery.

They're trying to build a prison, they're trying to build a prison, they're trying to build a prison - for you and me to live in

Warden*

They also aren’t learning skills that will help them when they are released

That's by design. Teaching people skills to support themselves gives them an opportunity to break out of the cycle of recidivism. Teaching people skills that are useless for most employers but are profitable to the slavers ensures that they are left disadvantaged, where they'll eventually end up back in prison for another round.

To the same end, having a culture where employers are legally permitted to background-check candidates for any old job makes it harder for reformed criminals to reintegrate into society.

When adding "tough on crime" politicians and their legislature to the mix, you can begin to see exactly what the goal is.

For you and me to live iiin!

Any time somebody tries to tell me that racism isn’t really a thing anymore (yes, they do), I always ask:

“Black people have six times the incarceration rate of white people. That can mean one of two things: there’s systemic racism, OR they are committing more crimes because it’s in their nature as a race. So, which is it?”

They never want to answer. They have to keep the mask on. No matter how hard I press for an answer, they never give one and get pissed off. It’s very telling.

Racists never wish to discuss the nuance. When discussing culture, behavior, and intelligence of the black population, they never wish to discuss the myriad of variables that would cause any negative outcomes. It’s so complicated and does not come down to one race being superior. I will never understand racism.

This is a good picture of "polite" racism in the North, too. We won't call them the N word, we'll just have them taken away.

Except as punishment for a crime. Literally in the text.

👉👊