On this upcoming Election Day in California, in addition to voting for the next U.S. president, residents will decide on Proposition 6 — a measure to end the use of forced labor in prisons. While the California Constitution currently prohibits forced labor, it makes an exception for criminal punishment. This means prisoners without qualifying exemptions can be compelled to work while incarcerated.
Watch the video above as Straight Arrow News contributor Adrienne Lawrence argues that the existing California law undermines human rights and must be repealed with a “Yes” vote on Nov. 5.
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The following is an excerpt from the above video:
The 13th Amendment was supposed to do away with that, but all it did was memorialize a problematic loophole that allows governments to feed the prison industrial complex. And speaking of that complex, well, many private companies and even government agencies profit from this cheap prison labor, which incentivizes higher incarceration rates and longer sentences for economic gain. This not only further perpetuates systemic inequalities, it advances racial inequities, and it compounds them with what over-policing of Black and Brown bodies. That’s just another reason to end forced prison labor. The incarcerated should serve their time, but while they’re serving, prisons should be positioning these individuals to be contributing members of society by offering them fair, voluntary work opportunities. Prisoners could gain valuable skills, build confidence and make better use of their time, which may help reduce recidivism.
Again, it’s been nearly 160 years since the 13th [Amendment] was passed. It’s time that we do what’s morally right. The 22 million Californians registered to vote this November, they need to vote yes on Prop six.
