> that prison populations are used as forced labor I was recently reminded of this due to a strange story having to do with covid and a shortage of license pla

> that prison populations are used as forced labor I was recently reminded of this due to a strange story having to do with covid and a shortage of license plates in Washington state, due to "social distancing" in the DOC. So that state contracted with another state whose prisoners were still incarcerated and still hard at work making license plates. > The DOC has experienced issues since last summer, when compliance with social-distancing requirements slowed production, according to spokesperson Rachel Ericson. To address the issue, the agency has increased staffing and started outsourcing some production on July 31. > License plates first began to be manufactured by individuals incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla in 1923. It’s now one of 43 prison factories around the country that produce plates for 40 states and the federal government. Original: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washington-state-grappling-with-license-plate-shortage-as-pandemic-slows-production/ https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washington-state-g... Outline (no paywall): https://outline.com/YnDVG6 https://outline.com/YnDVG6