Prison Labor In America
The United States of America is one of the largest users of prison labor in the world. This is perfectly legal according to the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, which states that forced labor is servitude for punishment for a crime. Prisoners across the country are working in various industries, making below minimum wage with no health benefits and safety regulations. This saves corporations a great deal of money. A few public companies that take advantage of using this cheap labor are Victoria’s Secret, Honeywell, Compaq, IBM, Texas Instruments, Microsoft, Boeing, Nintendo and McDonalds. The prison industry is growing larger each year with jailhouses being built faster than universities.
There are various positive and negative effects of prison labor falling under the categories of people, profit and planet. Our project examines social and ethical concerns regarding health and safety issues and rehabilitation, along with an inside view into the products companies are producing. In terms of profit, the effects on the economy, prisoners’ wages, and workers testimonials are examined. The environmental factors point out issues concerned with outsourcing to foreign countries, fuel and energy usage, and the effect prison labor has on our planet.
Our goal is to bring these facts to the public, enabling everyone to make their own informed decision on this controversial topic.
