Prison Labor Exploitation Continues Under 13th Amendment Exception

The 13th Amendment abolishes slavery 'except as a punishment for crime.' In 2020, approximately 2.3 million people — 38% Black — were incarcerated in the U.S. Prison labor is paid $0.13 to $0.52 per hour on average; in some states, prisoners are paid nothing. Corporations including McDonald's, Walmart, Starbucks, and Victoria's Secret have used prison labor through government contracts. Alabama and South Carolina state prisons were found by federal courts to have unconstitutional conditions including inmate-on-inmate violence due to understaffing. The 13th Amendment exception has been used to criminalize behaviors disproportionately associated with poverty and Blackness.