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> Yes, license plates are still made by cheap prison labor in most states. 80% of all license plates issued in the U.S. today were made by state prisoners, with

by nunez 3y ago

> Yes, license plates are still made by cheap prison labor in most states. 80% of all license plates issued in the U.S. today were made by state prisoners, with only 12 states opting out of the practice. According to a 2022 ACLU report on prison labor in the U.S., many states offer no pay at all to prisoners, while the average hourly wage across the country was between 13 and 52 cents per hour So slavery's not dead, I guess.

jdpedrie 3y ago
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
- standardUser 3y ago
  America literally has an exception for slavery.
  - yossarian1408 3y ago
    People who commit crimes are not entitled to the same rights as everybody else nor ought they to be
    - travisjungroth 3y ago
      Pro-slavery take. Don’t see those around here so often. I’m anti-slavery, myself. Even when the government decides the person did something wrong, not really in favor of it. Sometimes the government gets a bit fast and loose on what a crime is and who has committed them.
    - mitchdoogle 3y ago
      So if you want free labor, you just create harsh penalties for minor crimes.
SV_BubbleTime 3y ago
"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." 13A A. I guess I'm confused you ever thought it was dead. B. The license plate programs are optional, and as I understand it most work details are a desirable distraction from the all encompassing boredom of prison life. So I'm not sure it's anything but typing just to type to call it slavery, knowing full damn well it is nothing like the history you're tying it to.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- msm_ 3y ago
  A: Easy mistake to make. Let's take google results for "abolished slavery": > When did slavery end around the world? > After centuries of struggle, slavery was eventually declared illegal at the global level in 1948 under the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Mauritania was the last country to officially abolish slavery, with a presidential decree in 1981. This is also what I was taught at school. Most people in my European country probably know that "legal" slavery (for example debt bondage) still happens in third world countries, but I'm almost sure most don't realise slavery is legal in the US too.
- standardUser 3y ago
  "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime" Mince words all you want, the constitution doesn't and makes it very clear that there is an exception for slavery. Of course we could simply pay people for work, as is our custom, and end this depressing argument once and for all.
  - brewdad 3y ago
    Well they are getting paid 13 cents an hour, so I guess they aren’t literally slaves. Or something.
jedberg 3y ago
When slavery was outlawed, they carved out a special exemption for prisoners.
- wpsimon3 3y ago
  But the real question is did they design a special license plate only available to those people?
walthamstow 3y ago
There's a reason Ava DuVernay's documentary is called 13th.
NoMoreNicksLeft 3y ago
If this is "slavery"... why should anyone care? The idea that they can be forced to work without pay bothers you, but that they can be forced to live in a cage doesn't?
- gambiting 3y ago
  Because literally no prisoner in the USA has been explicitly sentenced to this. If you are in prison your sentence is almost certainly restriction of your freedom for a period of time, and not imprisonment + "being forced to work". The fact that the prison system can benefit off of that should offend you and you should be outraged that this is happening across the country.
  - carabiner 3y ago
    It's not only license plates. It's wildland firefighters protecting California mansions and assemblers of furniture to be sold at Walmart. China points this out as unethical labor practices, and they're exactly right.
  - NoMoreNicksLeft 3y ago
    > Because literally no prisoner in the USA has been explicitly sentenced to this. I think it's implied in the "incarceration" part of their sentences. But when and where it isn't, I'd be happy to include that in the sentence, if that's your only objection. For the record, some sentences do seem to include the term "hard labor" and the like.
    - Eisenstein 3y ago
      > I think it's implied in the "incarceration" part of their sentences. The legal profession and justice system is anything but friendly to things 'implied'. > But when and where it isn't, I'd be happy to include that in the sentence Are you a judge or a legislator? > For the record, some sentences do seem to include the term "hard labor" and the like. I have searched but can find no source which will cite anyone in the recent era sentenced to 'hard labor'. If you can find one I would be grateful.
refurb 3y ago
My understanding is the work is voluntary. You aren't forced to work in prison.
Tangurena2 3y ago
In Kentucky, the old, pressed metal plates were made by prisoners at the state pen. A combination of COVID shutting down the prison along with running out of number-letter combinations forced the state to switch to printed license plates. The new "flat" plates are made by the same company that makes every other states' flat plates. No more prisoner labor for plates in KY.

by nunez 3y ago

jdpedrie 3y ago

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

standardUser 3y ago
America literally has an exception for slavery.
- yossarian1408 3y ago
  People who commit crimes are not entitled to the same rights as everybody else nor ought they to be
  - travisjungroth 3y ago
    Pro-slavery take. Don’t see those around here so often. I’m anti-slavery, myself. Even when the government decides the person did something wrong, not really in favor of it. Sometimes the government gets a bit fast and loose on what a crime is and who has committed them.
  - mitchdoogle 3y ago
    So if you want free labor, you just create harsh penalties for minor crimes.

SV_BubbleTime 3y ago

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." 13A A. I guess I'm confused you ever thought it was dead. B. The license plate programs are optional, and as I understand it most work details are a desirable distraction from the all encompassing boredom of prison life. So I'm not sure it's anything but typing just to type to call it slavery, knowing full damn well it is nothing like the history you're tying it to.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
msm_ 3y ago
A: Easy mistake to make. Let's take google results for "abolished slavery": > When did slavery end around the world? > After centuries of struggle, slavery was eventually declared illegal at the global level in 1948 under the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Mauritania was the last country to officially abolish slavery, with a presidential decree in 1981. This is also what I was taught at school. Most people in my European country probably know that "legal" slavery (for example debt bondage) still happens in third world countries, but I'm almost sure most don't realise slavery is legal in the US too.
standardUser 3y ago
"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime" Mince words all you want, the constitution doesn't and makes it very clear that there is an exception for slavery. Of course we could simply pay people for work, as is our custom, and end this depressing argument once and for all.
- brewdad 3y ago
  Well they are getting paid 13 cents an hour, so I guess they aren’t literally slaves. Or something.

jedberg 3y ago

When slavery was outlawed, they carved out a special exemption for prisoners.

wpsimon3 3y ago
But the real question is did they design a special license plate only available to those people?

walthamstow 3y ago

There's a reason Ava DuVernay's documentary is called 13th.

NoMoreNicksLeft 3y ago

If this is "slavery"... why should anyone care? The idea that they can be forced to work without pay bothers you, but that they can be forced to live in a cage doesn't?

gambiting 3y ago
Because literally no prisoner in the USA has been explicitly sentenced to this. If you are in prison your sentence is almost certainly restriction of your freedom for a period of time, and not imprisonment + "being forced to work". The fact that the prison system can benefit off of that should offend you and you should be outraged that this is happening across the country.
- carabiner 3y ago
  It's not only license plates. It's wildland firefighters protecting California mansions and assemblers of furniture to be sold at Walmart. China points this out as unethical labor practices, and they're exactly right.
- NoMoreNicksLeft 3y ago
  > Because literally no prisoner in the USA has been explicitly sentenced to this. I think it's implied in the "incarceration" part of their sentences. But when and where it isn't, I'd be happy to include that in the sentence, if that's your only objection. For the record, some sentences do seem to include the term "hard labor" and the like.
  - Eisenstein 3y ago
    > I think it's implied in the "incarceration" part of their sentences. The legal profession and justice system is anything but friendly to things 'implied'. > But when and where it isn't, I'd be happy to include that in the sentence Are you a judge or a legislator? > For the record, some sentences do seem to include the term "hard labor" and the like. I have searched but can find no source which will cite anyone in the recent era sentenced to 'hard labor'. If you can find one I would be grateful.

refurb 3y ago

My understanding is the work is voluntary. You aren't forced to work in prison.

Tangurena2 3y ago

In Kentucky, the old, pressed metal plates were made by prisoners at the state pen. A combination of COVID shutting down the prison along with running out of number-letter combinations forced the state to switch to printed license plates. The new "flat" plates are made by the same company that makes every other states' flat plates. No more prisoner labor for plates in KY.