Alabama Inmate Labor System Challenged as Modern-Day Slavery
A lawsuit filed on December 13, 2023, by current and former inmates challenges Alabama’s prison labor program as a type of “modern-day slavery.” The lawsuit alleges that prisoners are forced to work for little pay, and sometimes no pay, in jobs that benefit government entities or private companies. The lawsuit claims that the program violates the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.
The lawsuit was filed against the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) and the Alabama Department of Finance, which oversees the state’s prison labor program. The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to stop the program and damages for the work they performed.
The lawsuit alleges that the ADOC’s prison labor program is a “modern-day slave system” that forces prisoners to work in dangerous and unsanitary conditions for little pay. The lawsuit claims that prisoners are often forced to work without proper safety equipment or training and that they are not provided with adequate medical care.
The lawsuit also alleges that the ADOC’s prison labor program is discriminatory, as it disproportionately affects African-American prisoners. The lawsuit claims that African American prisoners are more likely to be assigned to work details and are paid less than white prisoners for the same work.
The lawsuit has been filed at a time when there is growing concern about the use of prison labor in the United States. According to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union and the University of Chicago Law School’s Global Human Rights Clinic, an estimated 791,500 incarcerated people worked in US prisons as part of their sentences in 2021, often without basic workplace protections and under dangerous working conditions for little to no pay.
The lawsuit is expected to be closely watched by civil rights groups and advocates for prison reform. It remains to be seen how the courts will rule on the matter, but the lawsuit has already sparked a national conversation about the use of prison labor in the United States.
In conclusion, the lawsuit filed by current and former inmates challenges Alabama’s prison labor program as a type of “modern-day slavery.” The lawsuit alleges that prisoners are forced to work for little pay, and sometimes no pay, in jobs that benefit government entities or private companies. The lawsuit claims that the program violates the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The lawsuit is expected to be closely watched by civil rights groups and advocates for prison reform.
