Prison Labor and The World:
A Hidden Problem Allowed to Exist
Jackie Phillips
Criminology, Post University
CRJ322- Human Trafficking, A Hidden Crime
Unit 3 Assignment Research Paper Introduction
Professor Robert Eddy
Due: 11:59 pm, Sunday of Unit 3
Overview: For this week’s assignment, you will be submitting a full introduction to your Research Paper. This is the third of five assignments which will make up the Research Paper. For this assignment, you will define human trafficking and provide an introduction to your topic.
Introduce and define your topic.
My topic is about the worldwide practice of prison labor, also called penal labor, penal servitude, punitive labor and convict labor which forces prisoners to work in a wide variety of situations, and often or little to no pay or compensation or credit.
“From the moment they enter the prison gates, incarcerated people lose the right to refuse to work. This is because the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects against slavery and involuntary servitude, explicitly excludes from its reach those held in confinement due to a criminal conviction.” (No author given, 2022)
Explain why this area of human trafficking is significant.
The primary reason that prison labor is a huge problem is because this type of labor can fall beneath and outside the legal regulations of protected worker safety.
“Punitive labour encompasses two types: productive labour, such as industrial work; and intrinsically pointless tasks used as primitive occupational therapy, punishment, or physical torment.” (No author given, 2024)
Limited protections
Incarcerated workers are often denied the same protections as other workers, such as those provided by OSHA and state agencies.
Dangerous conditions
Incarcerated workers may work in dangerous conditions that would be regulated by health and safety laws if they were not incarcerated.
Exploitation
Incarcerated workers are often paid pennies per hour, and over half of their pay goes toward room and board, court costs, and other prison fees.
Lack of rights
Incarcerated workers are often not legally considered employees and are denied the right to unionize or protest.
Identify the areas/populations this type of trafficking traditionally effects.
“Reports indicate that state-imposed forced labour occurs in public and private prisons around the world, including Brazil, China, North Korea, Poland, Russia, Turkmenistan, the United States, Viet Nam, and Zimbabwe. It also occurs in migrant detention centres in Libya, re-education camps in China, administrative detention camps in North Korea, and in medical labour centres in Belarus and Viet Nam, in which citizens struggling with drug addiction are forced to work as part of their recovery.” (No author given, 2024)
Include any additional information which you feel is required to help your audience to better understand your paper.
Is penal labor, sometimes called captive labor, ethical?
“Incarcerated men and women toil in workshops, kitchens, and fields, producing goods and services that reach far beyond their confinement. From manufacturing furniture and processing food to fighting fires and working in call centers, their labor fuels supply chains, corporate profits, and consumer markets. Yet these workers remain invisible, their contributions often overlooked or dismissed. The commodification of their labor perpetuates a cycle of vulnerability, where meager wages and limited rights prevail.” (Shewan, L., 2024)
References
No author given, 2022, American Civil Liberties Union, Captive Labor: Exploitation of Incarcerated Worker, https://www.aclu.org/news/human-rights/captive-labor-exploitation-of-incarcerated-workers
No author given, 2024, Wikipedia, Penal Labour, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_labour
No author given, 2024, WalkFree, Guardians and Offenders: State Imposed Forced Labor, https://www.walkfree.org/global-slavery-index/findings/spotlights/examining-state-imposed-forced-labour/#:~:text=State%2Dimposed%20forced%20labour%20can,all%20state%2Dimposed%20forced%20labour.
Shewan, L., 2024, The Center for Law and Social Policy, The Unethical Use of Captive Labor in U.S. Prisons, https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/unethical-use-captive-labor-prisons/