For more than half a century, California has banned forced labor. But there is always an exception for one group – people in prison. State constitutions specifically prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude except to “punish crimes.”
It’s time to strike those words from the Constitution by voting “yes” on Proposition 6 on November 5th. No person, including state prisoners serving time for serious crimes, should be forced against their will. Involuntary servitude is a remnant of post-slavery practices that are immoral and have no place in the state, even in prison. Proposition 6 would remove language that allows prisons and jails to force incarcerated people to work and punish them if they refuse.
We wholeheartedly support it.
This is not about coddling prisoners. Sentences for committing serious crimes are handed down for years and sometimes decades. All of these steps allow prisoners some agency on how they will spend their time to take advantage of resources such as drug treatment and vocational education that can change their lives once they get out – and most people in prison can. It’s good for everyone when people leave prison better prepared than when they entered.
In recent years, other countries have recognized the injustice of using forced labor in prisons. Shamefully, California is among only 16 states clinging to this ghastly relic.
Assemblywoman Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City), who authored the legislation that put the measure on the ballot, said it would allow prisons and inmates to prioritize rehabilitation over work. “Now, work first,” he noted. And that is the wrong policy. The California Correctional Task Force called for an end to forced labor in state prisons as one of its recommendations.
Prisoners can take classes, get medication or mental health care, visit family and friends, or, in fact, pursue work they want. All of this helps prisoners develop personal skills and insights rather than forcing them to do work that can interfere with the classes and treatment they receive. exercise want to pursue.
Generally, individuals in prison are initially given jobs as kitchen workers, gardeners, washermen, mechanics, hospital workers and janitors. More specialized positions, such as machine work, sewing or license plate manufacturing, are considered more desirable, and people apply for them. The prison system’s regulations say that incarcerated people’s “wishes and needs” among other factors will be taken into account when assigning them. But former prisoners say even when they have the opportunity to express their preferences, they are rarely respected.
More sought-after jobs can take years to get and sometimes require waiting on a list. Jobs are provided when they are available, the former inmate said. So people who prefer to work in the kitchen can be forced to work in the machine shop, but people who are more interested in the machine shop are sent to the kitchen..
The purpose of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is its name. But formerly incarcerated people and prison reform advocates and researchers say rehabilitation is hindered by forced labor. Those who refuse to work say they face punishments including solitary confinement and loss of visiting privileges.
Former inmates who support this proposition tell their stories of not being able to take necessary rehabilitation programs because it interfered with their work duties. In one case, a man serving time for manslaughter conviction said he knew that alcohol was a factor in criminal behavior and wanted to take an alcohol rehabilitation program but the hours of work assigned to the kitchen conflicted with the program. It took them years to get the programs they needed.
Passing Proposition 6 is unlikely to result in unfilled jobs. So, of the 92,000 people in California prisons, about 60,000 have jobs, according to prison officials. State legislative analysts say the number of inmates with jobs could be even lower. Supporters of the measure say most inmates want to work or learn new skills.
And work is also a source of income, although very little. The wages are about 16 cents an hour for people with less skills, such as laundry or laundry, up to 74 cents an hour for clerks in offices or working in warehouses. (And that’s the salary range after the prison system doubled its size earlier this year.) Some skilled jobs pay more, such as minimum wage.
But this proposition has no effect on the scale of pay for prison work. The prison system has made some changes in the way work is handled, and that is promising. It has eliminated all unpaid work and will convert up to 75% of full-time jobs to part-time jobs – which will free up time for individuals to participate in the programs they want.
If we want people out of prison to be rehabilitated – and if we care about public safety, we must – that requires allowing them to access many opportunities to get an education, learn skills and get treatment to prepare them best to be productive. life after prison. Forcing them to work in the kitchen may help the officials run the prison but not help the prisoners turn their lives around, and that should be a major concern for all of us.
