Yep. The 14th 13th Amendment is anti-slavery but has a carve-out for prisoners. Prisons use slave labor and private prisons are companies that profit from slavery.
America is a slave state.
Whoops, you’re right. Both have been of discussion lately and got mixed up.
Number 1 in total prison pop. Number 6 per capita, after El Salvador, Cuba, Rwanda, Turkmenistan, American Samoa.
Land of the free babyyyy.
Raise rent to unaffordable levels, criminalize being homeless, enslave the poverty stricken.
Honestly if I’m ever imprisoned for being homeless and it doesn’t look like there’s a way out, you can be damn sure I’m not going to willingly work. They must provide three meals and a place to sleep and that’s all I will do. At that point I have no home and the carrot of “getting out” isn’t there. You’re not getting my labor for free too.
Prisons will punish inmates who refuse to work. They use the constant threat of solitary confinement as a motivator.
And for those unaware, solitary confinement permanently fucks up your brain hard. We are social creatures and the lack of socialization will make you unable to reintegration into society, and make you more likely to lash out with violence.
It’s either forced labor (slavery) or brain damage. Nobody should have to choose between that.
Punish you for not working? Of course not! No we reward you for working by letting you out of solitary.
Cool cool, still not getting any work out of me. I’ll gladly make it a test of wills.
And maybe in 2224, we will sing about you.
Not much has changed since the enclosure and vagabond acts, back in 1600s Britain. All we’ve done since is refine and moralise the process.
Peonage is baaack!
Hey here’s a horrible idea. Let’s combine this with the debtors prisons we illegally run and recreate indentured servitude! As long as we call it something snazzy we can all pretend it’s not slavery!
Just say it’s to fight terrorism, or protect children, and everyone will defend it.
This article reeks of misunderstandings of America’s peculiar prison instituon. I can assure you that there is no creature more satisfied than those in the the state penitentiary. Their every need is provided for. Clothing, food, shelter, all provided by the state.
(Is the /s necessary? I feel it cheapens the comment but oh well)
Most definitely needed. I’ve seen this very point being made “seriously”.
I agree it cheapens it, but unfortunately it’s far too easy to imagine someone truly believing that.
Guess why they’re working so hard to criminalise poverty. Those private prisons won’t fill themselves. And North Korea probably still has more prisoners by percentage of the population. Can’t let these filthy commies win!
The US retains its status as the World’s No.1 Jailer with a prison population of 713 per 100,000 population, more than even any of the world’s most notorious and oppressive regimes like Myanmar (120 per 100,000 population), Cuba (510 per 100,000 population), and Iran (333 per 100,000). The only country that might challenge the US as the world’s No. 1 jailer is North Korea. Although information is limited, North Korea’s incarceration rate is estimated to be between 600-800 per 100,000 population.
