So, how should I react to the presence of slaves in my city?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Today I noticed a crew from the prison shoveling snow downtown. How much can these folks be paid? Isn’t it something like $1 per hour or less? From what little I spoke to them they seemed to be happy just to be outside, but still, I see prison labor as effectively being slave labor. I wonder if most people see it this way.

Is prison labor appropriate? I admit I have no idea what these people are in prison for. Maybe these guys are actually total rotters who need to literally pay back their debts to society via slave labor. But I have my doubts, from here:

Not that I am in Mississippi, that’s just for example. The crew I noticed were about a dozen guys, mostly white guys, a couple Hispanic guys and no black guys that I noticed, in response to the Jim Crow slant of the quote above. But slavery isn’t any better if it isn’t race-based. I have major doubts about our current prison system- I am sure that plenty of people deserve to be imprisoned; I am sure that plenty of prisoners don’t really deserve it; I wonder how much the motive for cheap labor drives up the number of incarcerated. And, what are the rules for appropriate use of public prison labor?

I have an uneasy feeling that something rotten may be going on in my area. I mourn for the unjustly imprisoned the way I mourn Iraq War casualties or other victims of injustice. I am also very unsure- maybe some criminals need to be made to ‘work it off’. Help me sort this out.

2

I think prison labor is a good idea. It is a form of punishment but it encourages a work ethic and achieves sometime for society unlike things like solitary confinement. Paying them a little money means that when they leave prison they don’t have to turn to crime to survive.

3

I have mixed feelings about it as well, but I’ll note:
After Rent, Groceries, Utilities, Gas, Insurance, Cable . . . I only make about $1 an hour.

4

The work programs are usually voluntary. They give a person something to do and, more important than any payment, they can help reduce a person’s total sentence. The days are more important than the dollars.

5

Are the prisoners forced to work? From what I’ve seen on documentaries, a lot of work programs seem to be on a voluntary basis.

6

refer to the bible regarding slavery:

However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way. (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT)

If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for only six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. If he was single when he became your slave and then married afterward, only he will go free in the seventh year. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife will be freed with him. If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they had sons or daughters, then the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. But the slave may plainly declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I would rather not go free.’ If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will belong to his master forever. (Exodus 21:2-6 NLT)

When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. And if the slave girl’s owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but he must treat her as his daughter. If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or fail to sleep with her as his wife. If he fails in any of these three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment. (Exodus 21:7-11 NLT)

When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property. (Exodus 21:20-21 NAB)

even in the New Testament, per Jesus:

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. (Ephesians 6:5 NLT)

Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed.  If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful.  You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts.  Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them.  (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT)

The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it. “But people who are not aware that they are doing wrong will be punished only lightly. Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given.” (Luke 12:47-48 NLT)

7
  1. I suspect that you don’t like slavery, but are confused by the situation that you see in your city.
  2. There is no Constitutional prohibition against slavery, only against certain forms of slavery. If you are trying to fit the Constitution into your world view, read it.
  3. What do you call slavery?
  4. In most of the prison labor situations, it is voluntary, so, look up ‘prison labor’ or some such, on Google, or find a Criminal Corrections textbook. That will give you more insights on the situation, and an informed starting point.
  5. Prison labor isn’t slavery, unless it is something like ‘X years at hard labor’, which, I suspect, is more pro forma than realism, because of the enforcement/control problems that an institution would encounter.
  6. Referencing Google again, look up ‘economics of prison labor’ or some such.
8

Yeah people used the Bible to justify slavery in the U.S. in the past:

9

I am a lawyer who represents inmates for in-house disciplinary infractions at the local minimum- to medium-security institution. As such, I have a lot of interaction with inmates; both from representing them and from simply walking through the local jail.

IME, most of the inmates that you see working outside the jail are doing it on a voluntary basis. They have earned the privilege of working outside the walls, and they are being paid–maybe not what you’d make on the outside for similar work, but they are being paid nonetheless. The money each earns is added to the account that the inmate can use for the canteen, for phone calls, etc. (Of course, there are money-earning work opportunities inside the prison as well: the kitchen, the wood shop, the machine shop, mopping floors, etc.)

Again, IME, no inmate I’ve encountered has been forced to work outside the walls. If an inmate is offered the chance to work outside, but chooses not to, he is not forced to, and his refusal is not held against him for purposes of parole, etc. This differs from work assignments inside the prison, where refusal to work at an assigned task can lead to disciplinary charges.

In short, outside work–tending the prison gardens, shovelling snow, etc.–is a choice position, and a privilege. Many inmates at the local jail do their best to be well-behaved enough to be selected for such work. And if selected, they usually agree–and they get paid for it.

Of course, I am only speaking on matters within my jurisdiction. Although IAAL, I may not be one in your jurisdiction, so for the straight dope in your jurisdiction, consult a local lawyer or your jurisdiction’s correctional authority.

10

That any jurisdiction deliberately locks up people to get free labor is the most ridiculous theory I’ve seen in years.

It costs something in the area of $80,000/yr to house a prisoner in the US.

That works out to $40/hour if you work a 50 weeks (2 for vacation) at 40 hours/week.

11

I’ll also question the article’s vaguely handwaved “it has been estimated” and “an estimated x million” claims. Not only are no cites provided, but one of the estimates is about children enslaved for abuse, a topic notorious for dramatic emotional responses and wild claims.

The figures might be accurate, but the presentation certainly doesn’t inspire confidence in the statistics. In fact, an estimated 30 million readers* have already rejected the article’s conclusion. That’s hard to argue with!

*estimated by Sailboat, 2013

12

I’m a bit of a commitment-phobe, so maybe a Hebrew slave is the way to go for me. If I change my mind, well I already have an awl, so there’s no additional cost there…

But seriously,

I do understand that the 13th Amendment allows slavery for convicted criminals:

but I am not sure if that was what I was seeing or not. I hadn’t ever really thought about it.
As far as the comment that it costs $80k per year to keep a prisoner and so this is not a cheap form of labor after all, well part of the concern is that politicians often get elected promising to get ‘tough on crime’, which leads to more prisoners who are then ‘on hand’ after that. They are already effectively paid for by the citizenry as part of that politician’s election, so why not make 'em work?

Anyway, I think we have an excessive number of prisoners in this country. I have to go slave away myself for the day, I’ll have to save the rest of my comments for later.

13

Whether the NT endorses slavery can be debated (although it doesn’t); but more to the point neither of those quotes is from Jesus. They are attributed to Paul.

14

I think the slavery argument is a straw man. If I were going to argue against inmates working outside the prison/jail, I would say that it eliminates a job that a free citizen could be doing.

15

The problem is you have to pay the free one minimum wage.

But that’s why states have laws that restrict prison labor to doing work for the government, like making license plates or paving roads.

16

That’s not a problem, that’s the point.

Using captive labor for government work isn’t any better on that front.

17

In my state people who are in jail are offered the choice. Most of them prefer the jobs. I think it’s reasonably humane in that it allows them an opportunity to get outside and something to concentrate on besides their various predicaments.

18

But it’s not really a free or fair choice, is it, if the only alternative is made deliberately awful. It’s not very ‘humane’ to offer occasional, partial respites, with conditions, from the state’s own inhumanity.

19

Outside jobs like that are usually a privilege. My friend who was incarcerated was thrilled to get a job working in a turkey processing plant. He got paid very little but while on the premises of the plant he was treated like any other worker. He said that it felt nice to be among the general population and treated with indifference to his social status of being an inmate.

The biggest perk wasn’t the money. The biggest perk for him was that he could charge his lunch in the factory cafeteria to his pay account. So he had the freedom to order up a couple of greasy fried grill burgers and some fries. To a guy who hadn’t tasted a Whopper or Big Mac in four years it was heaven.

He’s out now and the only downside he could say about that experience is that he has no desire to eat turkey any more.

20

“But it’s not really a free or fair choice, is it, if the only alternative is made deliberately awful”

Not at all. The alternative is to have their situation remain unchanged. The convicts working are already incarcerated. They are not punished for refusing to volunteer for work detail.