Did you know that slavery is still legal in America? Some states can imprison you, force you to work for slave wages and take away your right to vote.
There's hope! Tennessee, Oregon, Alabama, Louisiana, and Vermont voters will vote on ballot measures to decide whether to revise their constitutions to remove exceptions to the abolition of slavery.
- Many states force convicts to work for little or no pay. Check this map to see how much your state pays convicts.
- Which states have ballot measures to abolish slavery?
- Check this map for the 19 states that allow either slavery, involuntary servitude, or both as punishment for a crime.
- Which corporations exploit cheap prison labor?
- For-profit prisons donate to politicians for laws that put more people in prison.
- Who are the billionaires helping draft these laws? Follow the money.
Understand how the new American slavery works
Follow the money to understand how modern America slavery works to the benefit of billionaires, corporations and Republicans while devastating communities of color. Vote to fix the system.
Follow the money behind Prison Labor Slavery
The $80 billion prison industry enriches the powerful while exploiting and disenfranchising the poor. Prisons can force inmates to work for little or no wage per the 13th Amendment. Once you’ve been convicted of a crime, you are in essence a slave of the state. Private prisons, corporations profiting from cheap prison labor and some politicians benefit at the expense of the poor. Follow the money to see how American 'prison slavery' works.
Who's getting rich of prison slave labor?
- "There are over 870,000 inmates working full-time in American prisons. Their median wage in state and federal prisons is around 20 and 31 cents an hour, respectively. In Texas, Georgia, and Arkansas prisoners are forced to work for free. "Inmate workers are not considered "employees" under the law. No disability or worker's compensation in the event of an injury. No Social Security withholdings, sick time, or overtime pay." - Prospect
- "Targeted mass incarceration policies and racial bias, have led to more people of color in prisons and jails." - Talk Poverty
- "America spends over $80 billion annually to incarcerate 2.2 million people in deplorable facilities. The social costs of our failing criminal legal system are carried largely by low-income and minority communities. Private and public actors financially exploit our criminal legal system. They make money of each segment of our punishment system. They have created a legal form of human trafficking that targets the poor." - Worth Rises
The system behind forcing prisoners to work for free and preventing them from voting
This relationship map created with Kumu (a free app) show the connections between private prisons (like GEO and Corrections Corpn. of America), the Koch Brothers funded American Legislative Exchange (ALEC), The Republican National Committee and Mitch McConnell. It also shows the devastating impact it has on communities of color.
Racism in prison policies and imprisonment
Resources
- Abolish Slavery National Network - national coalition fighting to abolish constitutional slavery and involuntary servitude in all forms, for all people.
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund - fights for racial justice using the power of law, narrative, research, and people, we defend and advance the full dignity and citizenship of all Americans.
- Ballotpedia - features 385,675 encyclopedic articles written and curated by a staff of editors and writers.
TakeAway: Vote to end Prison Labor Slavery. You never know who's next to be imprisoned, forced to work for slave wages and denied the right to vote...
Deepak
DemLabs
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