Opinion - Modern Slavery: Racial Disparities in Incarceration and Prison Labor

Written by Grace Stevens

Edited by Rebecca Oxtot and Francesca Howard

Image under Public Domain

The trial of Sean Gathright for the murder of the rapper Charles “Julio Foolio” Jones II has recently gone viral and sparked online debate. The comments made by former Florida prison warden Raul Banasco have prompted conversations on prison labor and its eerie similarity to slavery. 

During Sean Gathright’s hearing in May, Banasco explained to the court how prisons would benefit from Gathright’s incarceration. “He’s someone that’s young, He’s healthy. In reality, we need that labor, we need that sweat equity, and we will put them out there to work because we do have an aging prison population,” said Banasco in a recording by Court TV. 

Banasco focuses on Gathright’s physical strength and ability to work instead of the crime that he committed, emphasizing how much prisons rely on inmate labor and how that need can affect the punishments that people receive. Many online viewers have discussed the similarity between how Banasco described Gathright and how slave owners used to describe slaves at an auction, showing how people in low power situations continue to be used for free labor in America far after the abolishment of slavery. 

The ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865 abolished involuntary servitude, but still allowed for slavery “as a punishment for a crime.” According to the findings of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), 800,000 of the 1.2 million people incarcerated in the United States are forced to work. While many of these workers are assigned to simple maintenance jobs like laundry, cooking, and dishes, many incarcerated workers are forced to risk their lives on the job. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reported that 8% of incarcerated workers are assigned to do “public works projects”. These jobs include, but aren’t limited to, road work, cleaning up hazardous spills and landfills, and assisting with dangerous emergency situations, including wildfires. Although the work done by incarcerated workers generates over $9 billion dollars for private companies, jails, and their states, workers receive little to no compensation.

According to EPI, incarcerated workers typically make 13-52 cents per hour. This pay is often deducted for taxes, court fines, legal fees, and to support their own confinement. Incarcerated people are commonly charged for their mattresses, food, and phone calls. Some prisons and jails, especially those in southern states, pay incarcerated people $0 for their forced labor, resulting in them leaving jail in debt. Forced labor also fails to prepare incarcerated people to work post-release. As documented by EPI, 60% of formerly incarcerated workers are jobless.   

Incarcerated workers are unable to challenge this unjust system because they lack basic workers’ rights. Incarcerated people aren’t allowed to unionize or bargain for better wages or work conditions. Based on data from a survey by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 76% of incarcerated workers surveyed say that they will face additional punishments if they challenge their work conditions or completely refuse to work. 

Prison labor itself is a practice that affects thousands of Americans without reasonable compensation, but it becomes even more complex when looking at its disproportional effect. Although Black Americans only make up 12% of the U.S. population, EPI reported that Black people make up 32% of the incarcerated population. 50% of this group are in southern states, the same states that usually pay incarcerated workers nothing. This disparity is hugely affected by discrimination within the legal system.

Evidence from the University of Michigan suggests that Black Americans are seven times more likely to be falsely convicted. Additionally, data collected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that in 21 major U.S. cities, police officers spend more time patrolling neighborhoods that have a large Black population. In Charlotte, North Carolina, the data shows a 100-hour difference between policing in majority Black and majority White neighborhoods. 

This disparity in patrolling exists without a just explanation. UCLA found that the majority Black areas that are disproportionately policed do not place more 9-11 calls, nor do they have higher crime rates, proving that the difference is because of racial bias.

The system of unfair incarceration and forced prison labor highlights how the U.S. economy continues to benefit from the unfair systems set up to keep Black Americans without agency, support, and fair opportunity. 

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Sources:

https://www.tampabay28.com/news/local-news/tampa-metro-west-hillsborough-county/jury-spares-four-men-in-julio-foolio-murder-case-as-experts-sweat-equity-comment-ignites-debate?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.epi.org/publication/rooted-racism-prison-labor/

https://anderson-review.ucla.edu/smartphone-records-reveal-racial-disparities-in-neighborhood-policing/

google.com/url?q=https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article/107/6/1734/117710/Smartphone-Data-Reveal-Neighborhood-Level-Racial&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1780514608754860&usg=AOvVaw2khtLFf6QbRUw3mYFVCCAM

https://naacp.org/resources/criminal-justice-fact-sheet

https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/2022-06-15-captivelaborresearchreport.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/live/ZcmYzDjJBeQ