‘You’re a slave’: Inside Louisiana’s forced prison labor and a failed overhaul attempt

Written By Madelyn S

The Washington Post, January 1, 2023: ‘You’re a slave’: Inside Louisiana’s forced prison labor and a failed overhaul attempt

“Breakfast at Louisiana’s state Capitol includes fresh coffee, cookies and egg sandwiches — made and served in part by incarcerated people working for no pay.

“‘They force us to work,’ said Jonathan Archille, 29, who is among more than a dozen current and formerly incarcerated people in Louisiana who told The Washington Post they have felt like enslaved people in the state’s prison system.

“Archille said prison staff had even used that term against him. ‘You’re a slave — that’s what they tell us,’ he said. A spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections, Ken Pastorick, said it ‘does not tolerate’ such language and is looking into the allegation.

“In the 2022 midterm elections, voters in four states approved changes to their constitutions to remove language enabling involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime — part of a larger push for change that many say is long overdue. But in Louisiana, a ballot measure that was conceived with the same goal in mind was rejected by a nearly 22-point margin.

“Some observers and proponents of the Louisiana amendment attributed the result to the convoluted wording of the ballot question, which was changed to appease Republican lawmakers. Others said the measure wouldn’t have passed in its original form because the state was not ready to upend labor practices in its prisons.”

Madelyn S
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