5 ms·

The way the 13th amendment is written is how: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been dul

The way the 13th amendment is written is how: "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". This is why penal labor is explicitly allowed, and why this population is milked for money (re: charging by the minute to read a free book available under public domain).

kingcharles 5y ago
Yes. There are now more black people legally owned as slaves than there were in the 1800s. It's just that the government owns them all now. The USA didn't abolish slavery it just made it illegal for private corporations to own them. Of course, the private corporations now rent them from the government.
- maerF0x0 5y ago
  Is it possible/optional that companies could employee these inmates in a non-abusive way? eg; could a company opt to pay them minimum wage or educational benefits?
  - shagie 5y ago
    Yes. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/13/business/economy/labor-market-inmates.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/13/business/economy/labor-ma... > Nearly every weekday morning for much of last year, Mr. Forseth would board a van at the minimum-security prison outside Madison, Wis., and ride to Stoughton Trailers, where he and more than a dozen other inmates earned $14 an hour wiring taillights and building sidewalls for the company’s line of semitrailers. > After he was released, Mr. Forseth kept right on working at Stoughton. But instead of riding in the prison van, he drives to work in the 2015 Ford Fusion he bought with the money he saved while incarcerated. > Work-release programs have often been criticized for exploiting inmates by forcing them to work grueling jobs for pay that is often well below minimum wage. But the Wisconsin program is voluntary, and inmates are paid market wages. State officials say the program gives inmates a chance to build up some savings, learn vocational skills and prepare for life after prison.
    - maerF0x0 5y ago
      I would donate to a charity, if such one existed, that just helped give at least minimum wage (ideally a living wage) for a social good cause. Any leads on such a thing? I've long thought about the concept of guaranteed employment, like basically if people charitably said "look, if you cant find a job, I'll give you one doing a social good, like sweeping this street or chopping onions at a local foodbank" ...
      - shagie 5y ago
        The classic ones that I'm familiar with are bakeries. For example - https://justdane.org/just-bakery/ https://justdane.org/just-bakery/ A recent article from NPR https://www.npr.org/2021/11/23/1056856357/former-inmates-are-cooking-up-some-of-phillys-best-pizza https://www.npr.org/2021/11/23/1056856357/former-inmates-are... Another bakery from a bit ago - https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/04/15/469942932/this-bakery-offers-a-second-chance-for-women-after-prison https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/04/15/469942932/th... One that is more on the farming skills - https://www.npr.org/2021/09/17/1037594879/this-prison-teaches-inmates-how-to-grow-their-own-food https://www.npr.org/2021/09/17/1037594879/this-prison-teache... and another one - https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2017/08/07/wisconsin-prison-dairy-farms-turn-out-1st-class-inmate-graduates/508505001/ https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2017/08/... and then for youth https://doc.wi.gov/Pages/AboutDOC/JuvenileCorrections/GrowAcademy.aspx https://doc.wi.gov/Pages/AboutDOC/JuvenileCorrections/GrowAc... -- though these are more about teaching while incarcerated rather than jobs once they're out. Even aside from the "do they accept charity or donation" the thing to do is to look at having your place of employment to say... get bagels from Just Bakery or have get pizza from Down North Pizza to continue to support the community and the people working at such jobs. I'd also check with the state DWD (or equivalent) - Department of Workforce Development. They're often part of the set of departments that work to reduce recidivism and may have suggestions for either "these companies employ ex-convicts" so that you can help by patronizing them along with "these organizations help with reentry" - and that would be an opportunity for donations. For that example - https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/press/2019/190403_new_hope_frostman.htm https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/press/2019/190403_new_hope_frostma... and https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/press/210729-reecc-job-center.htm https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/press/210729-reecc-job-center.htm

kingcharles 5y ago

Yes. There are now more black people legally owned as slaves than there were in the 1800s. It's just that the government owns them all now. The USA didn't abolish slavery it just made it illegal for private corporations to own them. Of course, the private corporations now rent them from the government.

maerF0x0 5y ago
Is it possible/optional that companies could employee these inmates in a non-abusive way? eg; could a company opt to pay them minimum wage or educational benefits?
- shagie 5y ago
  Yes. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/13/business/economy/labor-market-inmates.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/13/business/economy/labor-ma... > Nearly every weekday morning for much of last year, Mr. Forseth would board a van at the minimum-security prison outside Madison, Wis., and ride to Stoughton Trailers, where he and more than a dozen other inmates earned $14 an hour wiring taillights and building sidewalls for the company’s line of semitrailers. > After he was released, Mr. Forseth kept right on working at Stoughton. But instead of riding in the prison van, he drives to work in the 2015 Ford Fusion he bought with the money he saved while incarcerated. > Work-release programs have often been criticized for exploiting inmates by forcing them to work grueling jobs for pay that is often well below minimum wage. But the Wisconsin program is voluntary, and inmates are paid market wages. State officials say the program gives inmates a chance to build up some savings, learn vocational skills and prepare for life after prison.
  - maerF0x0 5y ago
    I would donate to a charity, if such one existed, that just helped give at least minimum wage (ideally a living wage) for a social good cause. Any leads on such a thing? I've long thought about the concept of guaranteed employment, like basically if people charitably said "look, if you cant find a job, I'll give you one doing a social good, like sweeping this street or chopping onions at a local foodbank" ...
    - shagie 5y ago
      The classic ones that I'm familiar with are bakeries. For example - https://justdane.org/just-bakery/ https://justdane.org/just-bakery/ A recent article from NPR https://www.npr.org/2021/11/23/1056856357/former-inmates-are-cooking-up-some-of-phillys-best-pizza https://www.npr.org/2021/11/23/1056856357/former-inmates-are... Another bakery from a bit ago - https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/04/15/469942932/this-bakery-offers-a-second-chance-for-women-after-prison https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/04/15/469942932/th... One that is more on the farming skills - https://www.npr.org/2021/09/17/1037594879/this-prison-teaches-inmates-how-to-grow-their-own-food https://www.npr.org/2021/09/17/1037594879/this-prison-teache... and another one - https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2017/08/07/wisconsin-prison-dairy-farms-turn-out-1st-class-inmate-graduates/508505001/ https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2017/08/... and then for youth https://doc.wi.gov/Pages/AboutDOC/JuvenileCorrections/GrowAcademy.aspx https://doc.wi.gov/Pages/AboutDOC/JuvenileCorrections/GrowAc... -- though these are more about teaching while incarcerated rather than jobs once they're out. Even aside from the "do they accept charity or donation" the thing to do is to look at having your place of employment to say... get bagels from Just Bakery or have get pizza from Down North Pizza to continue to support the community and the people working at such jobs. I'd also check with the state DWD (or equivalent) - Department of Workforce Development. They're often part of the set of departments that work to reduce recidivism and may have suggestions for either "these companies employ ex-convicts" so that you can help by patronizing them along with "these organizations help with reentry" - and that would be an opportunity for donations. For that example - https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/press/2019/190403_new_hope_frostman.htm https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/press/2019/190403_new_hope_frostma... and https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/press/210729-reecc-job-center.htm https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/press/210729-reecc-job-center.htm