Hey, What About All That Slave Labor California Will Be Losing?
That's effectively the reprehensible question asked by lawyers for Kamala Harris, California Attorney General, in response to an order to release non-violent offenders to relieve prison overcrowding. Paige St. John writes for the LA Times:
The judges, for a second time, ordered that all nonviolent second-strike offenders be eligible for parole after serving half their sentence. They told corrections officials to submit new plans for that parole process by Dec. 1, and to implement them beginning January.Most of those prisoners now work as groundskeepers, janitors and in prison kitchens, with wages that range from 8 cents to 37 cents per hour. Lawyers for Attorney General Kamala Harris had argued in court that if forced to release these inmates early, prisons would lose an important labor pool.
Prisoners' lawyers countered that the corrections department could hire public employees to do the work.
via @RadleyBalko, from whom I nicked the "slave labor" take on this.
Nothing wrong with slave labor by prisoners. Remember, the 13th amendment says "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." (Emphasis mine.)
It's true that a lot of these guys are in for activities which shouldn't be crimes at all, but that's a separate issue.
Rex Little at November 15, 2014 3:57 PM
Of course with less prison population, you need less kitchen staff,janitors, laundry etc.
Joe J at November 15, 2014 4:17 PM
Give it time: soon there will be enough statutes that they will just go out and gather up whatever workforce they need to keep the Cathedral clean, landscaped, and fed.
Reminds me of the science fiction story where the workforce was staffed by draftees.
doombuggy at November 15, 2014 5:10 PM
Slave labor and corporate-owned prisons, the epitome of a free society.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at November 16, 2014 7:47 AM
Gee – I thought this was going to be about California enforcing immigration law. After all, there is a federal law that says all employment must be approved by the department of homeland security…
Somehow, that law only applies to poor American citizens seeking a job at Taco Bell…
Radwaste at November 16, 2014 7:48 AM
Much like some of the 'Don't you dare stop illegal immigration!' clowns; one of their big arguments is "If you throw out the illegals, farmers will have to pay citizens to do that work! And they'll want more pay than illegals, so the cost of my vegetables and fruits will go up!"
Firehand at November 16, 2014 9:19 AM
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