# Oklahoma "work camp" for recovering addicts accused of making the camp inhabitants work for free

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-work-camp-for-recovering-addicts-accused-of-making-the-camp-inhabitants-work-for-free/932089>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [February 3, 2021, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-work-camp-for-recovering-addicts-accused-of-making-the-camp-inhabitants-work-for-free/932089 "2021-02-03T00:23:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-work-camp-for-recovering-addicts-accused-of-making-the-camp-inhabitants-work-for-free/932089/1 "2021-02-03T00:23:33Z")

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A judge has ordered a lawsuit to proceed against a chicken packing plant in Oklahoma which bills itself as an addiction rehab camp but actually allegedly required the people who were supposed to be rehabilitated to work for free or else be sent back to jail.

> **[Judge: Lawsuit over forced labor at chicken plants can move forward](https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/judge-lawsuit-over-forced-labor-at-chicken-plants-can-move-forward/)**
>
> An Oklahoma work camp claimed to offer help for people struggling with addiction, but instead required long work days for no pay at a poultry plant. The program kept injured workers’ compensation payments. 

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-work-camp-for-recovering-addicts-accused-of-making-the-camp-inhabitants-work-for-free/932089/2 "2021-02-03T00:29:14Z")

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[A judge tossed the lawsuit in December over jurisdiction issues.](https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/judge-tosses-lawsuit-filed-against-operators-of-a-controversial-jay-work-camp-recovery-program/article_5a6827f6-3be2-11eb-804b-03bc3492aeec.html)

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**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-work-camp-for-recovering-addicts-accused-of-making-the-camp-inhabitants-work-for-free/932089/3 "2021-02-03T00:42:38Z")

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Poultry processing has long been fraught with oppressive labor practices (which is a really disingenuous term for what the do: make slaves of people):

> **[The ‘Boys’ in the Bunkhouse (Published 2014)](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/03/09/us/the-boys-in-the-bunkhouse.html)**
>
> For decades, dozens of men with intellectual disabilities lived in an old schoolhouse and worked in a turkey plant. No one knew just what they endured.

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**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-work-camp-for-recovering-addicts-accused-of-making-the-camp-inhabitants-work-for-free/932089/4 "2021-02-03T06:29:39Z")

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That’s a real gut punch of an article, but very well written and well photographed. I actually have to say it makes me appreciate real journalism to see something like that.