The article discusses how the 13th Amendment's clause permitting slavery as punishment for crime has resulted in forced labor among incarcerated individuals in the U.S., primarily affecting Black and brown communities. Many state legislatures are beginning to address this issue by proposing bills to end forced labor in prisons. The prison labor system has deep historical roots, stemming from the Reconstruction era and Black Codes, and today provides significant profits to state governments and private corporations while exploiting the incarcerated, who receive minimal compensation for their work.
While the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, it preserves a loophole allowing forced labor as punishment for crime, perpetuating exploitation of incarcerated individuals.
State legislatures across the U.S. are now introducing bills to eliminate forced prison labor, challenging the longstanding exception in the 13th Amendment.
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