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Contemporary Slavery: The Not-So-Secret Practice of Forced Labor Inside U.S. Prisons by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney   “If we refused to work we had to stand on top of a wooden box in the sun. It was called ‘doin’ the scarecrow’ and some guys passed out from the heat”—Florida …
Article • June 1, 2021 • from PLN June, 2021
State Auditor Report Critical of Texas Prison Agribusiness by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke The State Auditor of Texas issued a report in March 2021 about the sale and production of food and fiber by the Agribusiness, Land and Minerals Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The …
Article • September 1, 2020 • from PLN September, 2020
New Law in Maryland Reveals Pathetic Prison Wages by Jayson Hawkins by Jayson Hawkins A new law in Maryland approved last year required disclosure of wages paid to prisoners, information that The Baltimore Sun reported on January 2, 2020. The law covered the Division of Correction (DOC), which employs about …
Article • April 1, 2020 • from PLN April, 2020
As Coronavirus Spreads, New York Governor Exploits Prison Labor to Produce Hand Sanitizer by Michael Fortino, Ph.D by Michael Fortino, Ph.D. On March 9, with fears of coronavirus spreading, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York held a press conference to announce the debut of a new hand sanitizer called NYS …
Article • July 2, 2019 • from PLN July, 2019
Filed under: Prison Industries
Mississippi Prison Industry Program Faltering, CEO Fired by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter The Mississippi Prison Industries Corporation (MPIC), a nonprofit “quasi-state agency,” is suffering financial losses and its future viability was questioned in a report by the state’s Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation Expenditure Review (PEER). …
A Jailbreak of the Imagination: Seeing Prisons for What They Are and Demanding Transformation by Mariame Kaba, Kelly Hayes by Mariame Kaba and Kelly Hayes, Truthout.org Our current historical moment demands a radical re-imagining of how we address various harms. The levers of power are currently in the hands of …
In the Public Interest - An Examination of Private Financing for Correctional and Immigration Detention Facilities, 2018 An examination of private financing for correctional and immigration detention facilities Report · In the Public Interest · June 2018 While governments have traditionally used municipal bonds to finance the construction of correctional …
Article • January 3, 2018
Filed under: Prison Industries
Investigation: Washington State Correctional Industries a "Broken Program" by Lonnie Burton by Lonnie Burton Washington State Correctional Industries (CI) ranks as the fourth largest prison labor program in the United States, with revenues north of $70 million in fiscal year 2014. However, the program, which employs about 1,600 state prisoners, …
Colorado Narrowly Rejects Ballot Measure to End Slavery as Punishment for Crime by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke In November 8, 2016, Colorado voters rejected a ballot measure that would have amended the state constitution to remove 140-year-old language allowing slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime. The removal …
Article • October 10, 2017 • from PLN October, 2017
Court Decision Favoring BOP Whistleblower Critical of BOP and OIG by Derek Gilna by Derek Gilna A December 2, 2016 decision by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, overturning a finding by the Merit Systems Protection Board, has cast in doubt the operations of the chief internal investigative body of …
Article • August 30, 2017 • from PLN September, 2017
California Prison Officials Shift Responsibility for Work Injuries to Prisoners by Derek Gilna by Derek Gilna California state prisons are known to be dangerous and violent places, but prisoners employed in industry programs at those facilities are also at serious risk of work-related injuries, as indicated by records maintained by …
Article • May 5, 2017 • from PLN May, 2017
UNICOR’s Manufacture of Defective Military Helmets Criticized by Derek Gilna by Derek Gilna The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a report in August 2016 that was sharply critical of ArmorSource LLC and its subcontractor, Federal Prison Industries (FPI), better known as UNICOR, …
Article • April 5, 2017
New Law Addresses Imported Fish Caught by Slaves, Ignores U.S. Prisoner Labor by Derek Gilna by Derek Gilna A law passed by in 2016 by Congress and signed by the President, the Port State Measures Agreement, prohibits the importation of fish caught using slave labor. U.S. Secretary of State John …
PLN Interviews CIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou by John Kiriakou is a former CIA officer, former senior investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former counterterrorism consultant. He left the CIA in March 2004, later serving as a senior investigator on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and senior intelligence advisor …
Prison Legal News Interviews CIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou - Full Interview by   Note: This is the full PLN interview with John Kiriakou; a shorter version was published as our April 2017 cover story, here. John Kiriakou is a former CIA officer, former senior investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee …
Article • September 9, 2016
Senator McConnell's Message to Unicor: Back Off by Derek Gilna When one of the most powerful United States Senators makes a suggestion, even a federal bureaucracy takes notice. Kurt Wilson, an executive with American Apparel, Inc., an Alabama company that makes military uniforms, and Michael Marsh of Kentucky-based Ashland Sales …
Publication • August 26, 2016
Filed under: Work, Prison Industries
Toxic Sweat Shops - How UNICOR Prison Recycling Harms Workers, Communities, the Environment, and the Recycling Industry, CEH, 2006 TOXIC SWEATSHOPS: How UNICOR Prison Recycling Harms Workers, Communities, the Environment, and the Recycling Industry Center for Environmental Health Prison Activist Resource Center Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition Computer TakeBack Campaign October …
Article • August 25, 2016
Texas Correctional Industries Gives Prisoners Work Skills by With factories employing 5,200 prisoners at 37 Texas prisons, Texas Correctional Industries (TCI) is a large operation. It is also a diversified operation with furniture factories, computer repair facilities, soap and detergent factories, metal fabrication facilities, boot and shoe manufacturing plants, sign …
Article • August 24, 2016
Alabama Ends Prison Farming Operations by Citing lack of profit, the Alabama Correctional Industries (ACI) ended its farming operations; ACI was formalized in 1976 with the “Prison-Made Goods Act.” It had been unprofitable for years leading up to the restructuring announced in 2007. “I want ACI to be a profit …
Article • August 10, 2016
Start-Up Apparel Company Rests Its Fortunes on Back of Prisoner Labor by David Reutter A new company, Tight Lines Y’all, has started operations thanks to the availability of prisoner labor to produce its signature items. When Terry Lewis became inspired to start a company he faced the usual obstacles of …
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