A bill introduced by state Rep. Tarra Simmons, D-Bremerton, brings up some interesting questions about the corrections system, labor fairness and basic human rights. It should be broadly discussed in the Legislature and ultimately rejected.
Simmons has proposed House Bill 1024, the “Real Labor, Real Wages Act,” which would require that inmates be paid the state’s minimum wage for work done during incarceration. The bill has drawn 17 co-sponsors — all Democrats, including Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver.
“No one should be coerced into providing their labor, and Washington should not profit from involuntary servitude,” Simmons said.
According to a report from the American Civil Liberties Union and the University of Chicago Law School, about 80 percent of inmate work in U.S. prisons is dedicated to maintaining facilities or working in the laundry or kitchen. At Larch Corrections Center in Clark County, for example, some inmates work in forest management or wildfire fighting.
In the most recent fiscal year, more than 1,600 incarcerated people worked 218,335 hours for Washington Correctional Industries. The program contributed $46.2 million to the state’s economy, with workers paid between 65 cents and $2.70 an hour.
With Washington having a minimum wage of $15.74 an hour — the highest of any state in the nation — it is easy to see the disconnect.
Simmons said: “The 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except for punishment...
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