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sorry I was referring to GP's comment about cheap labor, not the profitability of prison itself. Are private companies generating significant profit off of che

sorry I was referring to GP's comment about cheap labor, not the profitability of prison itself. Are private companies generating significant profit off of cheap prison labor ? Am I buying something from a walmart shelve made from prison labor ?

gumby 9y ago
> Am I buying something from a walmart shelve made from prison labor ? Yep. A quick google search with that very question finds lots of entries, many of course with an axe to grind. The Economist is rather dispassionate on the subject though: https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21718897-idaho-prisoners-roast-potatoes-kentucky-they-sell-cattle-prison-labour https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21718897-idaho-... But if you interact with the government, go to McDonalds, etc you're using prison labor. Whole Foods too (http://theweek.com/articles/630907/corporate-america-secret-slave-labor-force http://theweek.com/articles/630907/corporate-america-secret-...) I said "yep" because I figured you were asking a general question; in the specific case Walmart's position is that they don't use prison labor (but plenty of web sites will tell you it's not true. Here's Huffpo: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-norman/walmart-prison-labor_b_2224743.html https://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-norman/walmart-prison-labo...). This link is pretty good but requires a bit more epistemological digging: https://www.cagedbirdmagazine.com/single-post/2017/03/28/50-Companies-Supporting-Modern-American-Slavery https://www.cagedbirdmagazine.com/single-post/2017/03/28/50-...
- dominotw 9y ago
  oh wow. I had no idea. Thank you for the information.
drspacemonkey 9y ago
At WalMart, yes. Also JC Penny, Victoria's Secret, K-Mart, and Starbucks have all used prison labor. There's also prison call centers, such as those used by American Airlines and Avis.

gumby 9y ago

> Am I buying something from a walmart shelve made from prison labor ? Yep. A quick google search with that very question finds lots of entries, many of course with an axe to grind. The Economist is rather dispassionate on the subject though: https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21718897-idaho-prisoners-roast-potatoes-kentucky-they-sell-cattle-prison-labour https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21718897-idaho-... But if you interact with the government, go to McDonalds, etc you're using prison labor. Whole Foods too (http://theweek.com/articles/630907/corporate-america-secret-slave-labor-force http://theweek.com/articles/630907/corporate-america-secret-...) I said "yep" because I figured you were asking a general question; in the specific case Walmart's position is that they don't use prison labor (but plenty of web sites will tell you it's not true. Here's Huffpo: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-norman/walmart-prison-labor_b_2224743.html https://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-norman/walmart-prison-labo...). This link is pretty good but requires a bit more epistemological digging: https://www.cagedbirdmagazine.com/single-post/2017/03/28/50-Companies-Supporting-Modern-American-Slavery https://www.cagedbirdmagazine.com/single-post/2017/03/28/50-...

dominotw 9y ago
oh wow. I had no idea. Thank you for the information.

drspacemonkey 9y ago

At WalMart, yes. Also JC Penny, Victoria's Secret, K-Mart, and Starbucks have all used prison labor. There's also prison call centers, such as those used by American Airlines and Avis.