The future of prison labor in California is back in the spotlight, despite voters making their stance clear in the November election: prisoners must work while serving their sentences.
Now, some members of the California legislature—including the Legislative Black Caucus—are working to reverse that. Their goal? Redefine what qualifies as slavery in the prison system and eliminate mandatory labor for inmates.
Our contributors had strong and varied opinions.
“I’m not surprised it moved forward with the support of the Legislative Black Caucus,” said Brad. “But I’m not sure what the right thing is. We need to be careful people aren’t double jeopardized.”
“There’s a cost to society when we house inmates,” added Jill. “But redefining slavery for people who aren’t chained—this is complicated.”
Rick believes prisoners should be allowed to work, but with fair compensation tied to rehabilitation. “Learning a trade and responsibility could help inmates return to society stronger,” he said.
Ray took a firmer stance: “Prison is punishment. If it’s too comfortable, people won’t learn. That’s the whole point.”
Joel offered a novel solution: pay inmates a living wage against the annual $135,000 cost of incarceration. “If they’re short at the end, they owe the state. Eliminate slavery? Fine—but then they need to earn their way.”
The debate over what prison labor should look like continues, with passionate arguments on both sides. For now, the issue is far from settled.
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By: Fred Roggin
April 1, 2025
