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Current and former inmates have filed a class action lawsuit accusing Alabama's prison labor program of being a type of "modern-day slavery," per CBS 42.
According to the lawsuit, inmates in the Alabama prison system are forced to work in jobs that benefit the government or private companies for little to no pay. The lawsuit also alleges that the state maintains a discriminatory parole system with a low release rate to ensure a supply of laborers.
“The forced labor scheme that currently exists in the Alabama prison system is the modern reincarnation of the notorious convict leasing system that replaced slavery after the Civil War,” Janet Herold, the legal director of Justice Catalyst Law, said in a statement.
The lawsuit also cites a "forced labor scheme" that coerces prisoners into work. Unpaid jobs allegedly include tasks that help keep prison facilities running. Inmates may work jobs where businesses pay minimum wage or more, but the prison system keeps 40 percent of the prisoner's pay to cover the cost of their incarceration. The lawsuit calls the 40 percent takeaway a "labor-trafficking fee."
“If you didn’t work, you were at risk of going back to the prison or getting a disciplinary (infraction),” LaKiera Walker, who was previously incarcerated for 15 years, said.
According to the suit, the state is violating the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution, anti-human trafficking laws, and the Alabama Constitution through its prison labor program. The state claims that the prison jobs prepare inmates for after their release.
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