Arkansas Among Last In Nation To Force People To Labor Without Pay
There are very few places left where you can find people toiling in fields for no pay. Arkansas is one of those places — for the time being.
On Wednesday, State Rep. Vivian Flowers (D – Pine Bluff) introduced a House Joint Resolution to amend the Arkansas Constitution to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude. Arkansas is one of just two states that allows for inmates to be forced to labor without compensation.
“While Arkansas remains as one of two states that continues to engage in slavery through the use of forced inmate labor as a punishment, this nation and state have come too far to turn our backs on this issue. There are people being forced to work in fields without pay in Arkansas. This is happening right now, not a century ago. We have the opportunity right now, during this legislative session, to put an end to the last vestiges of slavery in this country,” said state Rep. Vivian Flowers. “Arkansas deserves leadership and a state Constitution that moves us out of the 19th century and into the 21st century. It’s past time to act.”
There is good reason to pay inmates, even if you don’t recognize their humanity, and inalienable rights even if behind prison walls.
Many of these incarcerated people will be free one day. And when they are free they will immediately need money for housing, transportation, food, and court ordered supervision fees.
Inmates who work should be allowed to save some of their money, and to help prepare them for life outside of prison walls.
Check out more coverage from the Arkansas Times
“State Rep. Vivian Flowers (D-Pine Bluff) has proposed a constitutional amendment to end slavery for those convicted of crimes.
At a news conference today, she said Arkansas was one of only two states that still used unpaid prison labor.
Her proposal says:
(a) Arkansas Constitution, Article 2, § 27, permits slavery and involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime.
(b) As the Arkansas Constitution is the moral and legal foundation of our state, abolishing all forms of slavery in the Arkansas Constitution represents the fundamental values held by the citizens of Arkansas.
(c) Because persons of color are overrepresented in the prison system, continued slave labor is an issue of racial and economic injustice.
(d) Arkansas is one of only two (2) states that do not pay inmates anything for their labor.
(e) If a prisoner is working, they should be compensated for that labor so they can afford the basic necessities of life.
(f) The intent of this amendment is to repeal the portion of Arkansas Constitution, Article 2, § 27, allowing slavery and involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime to fully abolish slavery in the State of Arkansas and recognize the moral and economic benefits that will result from ending this practice.
Hard to argue with, from my point of view. But, if you’ll recall, Arkansas barely repealed the pro-segregation part of its Constitution in 1992. Somebody surely will demand a fiscal impact statement.
Slavery is otherwise prohibited by the Constitution, except as punishment for a crime. We learned recently this hasn’t stopped some private businesses of availing themselves of unpaid labor in the name of drug rehab, a practice now being challenged in federal lawsuits.
As late as 2017, there were four states with unpaid labor — Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia and Texas. I’m not sure who’s dropped from this list since.
In states where inmates are paid, the amount is typically very small, but for thousands of inmates — an average of 14 to 63 cents for regular jobs and 33 cents to $1.41 for prison industry jobs, according to this list. Even $4 a week helps at the commissary for snacks and toilet articles.”