Instead of having prisoners waste away in a cell,why can't they be put to work?

Question

Have them do the jobs no one else will take. Some people say we need the illegal immigrants to do these jobs. Why not utilize our prisoners instead?

Answer 1

Contrary to what some people around here say, slave labor for convicted criminals as punishment for their crimes is actually 100% legal:

U.S. CONSTITUTION, 13TH AMENDMENT, SECTION 1: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, *except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted*, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

And there are some states in the American south which have brought back the old-style chain gangs, and you do sometimes see prisoners by the side of the highways doing cleanup work. Many prisons also have various work projects where inmates manufacture products intended for sale to the public, and they get paid something like 15 cents an hour which they generally use to purchase cigarettes, candy, or other small amenities. However, using prisoners for widescale slave labor just has too many problems to become a viable general policy. For one thing, you cannot physically force people to work if they don't want to. It's not like you can beat them up or deprive them of basic essential needs for not following orders. And private companies and labor unions protest whenever the government threatens their profits by replacing them with free labor. Replacing paid civilian workers (who are fully entitled to a minimum wage and other benefits and rights) with convicts also creates the risk that politicians will pass all kinds of stupid laws that criminalize innocent people simply for the sake of creating a cheap labor force for the state rather than sensible and unbiased laws that only ensure justice and public order. The prison system is supposed to exist only for the sake of keeping the public safe from dangerous and unscrupulous people, it should not be turned into a profit-driven industry.

Answer 2

In some states they do that kind of work. However, gangs of workers need to be watched and guarded, its always a security risk, and in order to prevent escapes they couldn't go to the same area with any constancy or someone could plan to break them out. It would end up costing more than its worth. Another point is how the free labor would be divided, would it go to the richest or most connected in the area, the biggest political donors? Wouldn't that give them an unfair advantage?
So for reasons of security and favoritism, its not a great idea.
The first time a prisoner escapes and men are sent to look for him we would lose any economic advantage.

Answer 3

While it sounds like a good idea on the surface, there are lots of problems. Although agricultural work is very low paid and very difficult, it is also skilled. Pruning grapes or harvesting fruit is not for the untrained. Farmers do not want untrained prisoners stomping around their farms. And when you move up the employment ladder, you run into conflict with the people who are actually paid to do these jobs, and do not want to be displaced. Add to that the problems of transporting and supervising prisoners, and it has usually turned out to be way more of a hassle than it is worth.

Answer 4

Prisoners are being used to pick crops in some states where migrant labor is not available.

Prisons manufacture things besides license plates. For instance they have made blankets for low prices which resulted in job loss for American workers. This is unacceptable.

Answer 5

a. It violates the prisoners rights.
b. It is unfair competition with local laborers.
c. They try to keep dangerous objects out
of the hands of prisoners. You want to
give them tools???

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Becuase prisioners can't be turned into slaves. It has to do with some legal mobojumbo written in the constitution.

Answer 8

Good idea.

Answer 9

Its considered slave labor which we can't do.