A hidden supply chain links U.S. prisons to major companies. At the Louisiana State Penitentiary, formerly a slave plantation, prisoners work for pennies an hour or nothing at all. They raise cattle that are sold to an auction house, then to a local rancher, and eventually to slaughterhouses connected to supply chains of corporations like McDonald's, Walmart, and Cargill. This practice is legal due to the 13th Amendment's exception clause, which allows for involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime.
Prisoners are some of the most vulnerable laborers, often excluded from standard worker protections and facing punishment if they refuse to work. Goods produced by prisoners are linked to hundreds of popular brands and can be found in most American kitchens, including products from Kroger, Target, Aldi, and Whole Foods. Some goods are even exported to countries with import bans on products made by forced or prison labor.
Many companies buying directly from prisons are unknowingly violating their own policies against using such labor. While it is legal, the clause in the 13th Amendment is being challenged on the federal level, and efforts to remove similar language from state constitutions are underway.
Prisoners work on the same land where slaves once harvested cotton, tobacco, and sugarcane. They are often overseen by armed guards and face harsh consequences for refusing to work. One former prisoner, Willie Ingram, recalls seeing men passing out in the fields from heat exhaustion and being beaten for protesting.
The U.S. prison labor system has grown into a multibillion-dollar empire, with about 2 million people currently incarcerated. While most states have farming programs, agriculture represents only a small fraction of the overall prison workforce. An analysis by the AP found that nearly $200 million worth of sales of farmed goods and livestock were traced to businesses over the past six years.
Corrections officials argue that prison jobs save taxpayers money and provide skills for prisoners upon release. However, critics argue that prison labor should be voluntary, fairly compensated, and that workers should be treated humanely. Some note that even when prisoners gain specialized training, their criminal records often prevent them from finding employment on the outside.
Prisoners are often injured or killed on the job, with little recourse for recourse. In 2017, Frank Dwayne Ellington was killed while cleaning a machine at a Koch Foods poultry plant. His family received a settlement, but the company initially argued that Ellington was not an employee and attempted to bar a wrongful death claim due to paying for his funeral expenses.
U.S. prison labor is connected to the supply chains of multinational companies, including those that have been banned from importing goods made by forced or prison labor. Cargill, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus, Archer Daniels Midland, and Consolidated Grain and Barge have all purchased goods from prisons.
While some companies have responded to the AP's inquiries, many did not. Cargill acknowledged buying goods from prison farms in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Ohio, stating they constituted a small fraction of the company's overall volume and that they would take remedial action. McDonald's pledged to investigate any links to prison labor, while Archer Daniels Midland and General Mills pointed to their policies restricting suppliers from using forced labor. Whole Foods and Bunge provided flat denials.
Tracking the money in prison labor is challenging due to a lack of transparency and inconsistent record-keeping. Big-ticket items like row crops and livestock are sold on the open market, with profits funneled back into agriculture programs. In some cases, it is nearly impossible to determine where the beef eventually ends up.
In Louisiana, an AP reporter witnessed three long trailers loaded with more than 80 cattle leaving the state penitentiary, eventually sold to a Texas beef processor and distributed to companies like Burger King, Sam's Club, and Tyson Foods.
Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, is a massive complex with a history rooted in slavery. Today, it houses over 3,800 men, mostly Black, who work in the fields for little to no pay. The prison's agricultural division brought in over $60 million in cattle sales since 2018.
Prisoners are often forced to work, with consequences for those who refuse or underperform. Calvin Thomas, who spent over 17 years at Angola, recalls being threatened with punishment if he didn't meet quotas or stepped out of line.
Prison labor has been used since before emancipation, with slaves being imprisoned and leased out for labor. The convict-leasing period, which ended in 1928, helped shape the modern prison-industrial complex, with incarceration used for profit rather than rehabilitation or punishment.
Prisoners are not guaranteed the same rights and protections as civilian workers, and they cannot protest or form unions. Almost all of the country's state and federal adult prisons have work programs, employing around 800,000 people, mostly in maintenance, laundry, kitchen work, or low-paying state industry jobs.
Outside jobs can be coveted for higher pay and the opportunity to save for release, but states often garnish large portions of salaries for expenses like room and board. Prison farms, however, typically pay nothing for most types of work.
Incarcerated workers are often employed in niche markets, such as raising livestock, beekeeping, or fish farming. At least 650 correctional facilities nationwide have prisoners doing jobs like landscaping, tending greenhouses, and working in canneries.
Prisoners are also hired out to private companies, with at least 650 correctional facilities having prisoners doing jobs like landscaping, tending greenhouses, and working in canneries. In Alabama, prisoners are leased out by companies, working at poultry plants run by Tyson Foods and a chicken processor that supplies beef, chicken, and fish to McDonald's.
Though Tyson did not respond to questions about direct links to prison farms, it stated that incarcerated workers receive the same pay as their civilian colleagues in work-release programs. Some people arrested in Alabama are put to work even before they’ve been convicted, allowing them to avoid jail while earning bond money.
Florida's chain gang, created by Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, is an example of unpaid work being used as a crime deterrent. Participation is voluntary, and inmates are chained together while picking up trash along roadways. Ivey argues that the program saves taxpayers money and teaches inmates a skill set.
While some former prisoners spoke positively about their work experiences, others felt exploited. Companies that hire prisoners benefit from a reliable, plentiful workforce even during labor shortages. The business of prison labor is vast and convoluted, making it challenging to trace the money and uncover potential corruption, mismanagement, or inefficiency.
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