In the days when the COVID-19 virus was new, less understood and more deadly, officials in Louisiana turned to state prison inmates to produce essential but scarce products to slow the rapid spread of the virus.
There were occupational hazards and health concerns for the imprisoned people mixing chemicals to create hard-to-find hand sanitizer. For state officials, it was an efficient and incredibly inexpensive solution. Louisiana’s state constitution allows the government to force inmates to work for free. In practice, they can receive some compensation, but it can be as little as pennies an hour when the effective minimum wage in the state is $7.25 an hour.
Prison labor practices, seen by many as a 21st century version of 19th century slavery, were on the ballot on Election Day in Louisiana and four other states — Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont. Voters decided on whether to remove the slavery loophole from their state constitutions; the exception that legally permits slavery or involuntary servitude as punishment for those convicted of a crime.
The measures passed in every state but Louisiana, with 61% of voters in opposition. Opposition in various parts of the country has come from law enforcement and other state officials who fear the economic loss of free labor. But in Louisiana, the proposed referendum failed in large part because its sponsor, a Black state legislator from Baton Rouge, asked voters to oppose it so that it could be reworded to fix technical...
Former Democratic Party lawmaker An Min-suk was elected as the progressive camp’s candidate for the June Gyeonggi Province superintendent of education election. Candidate An said, “I will become a...