> how is it wrong to make them at least cover their own costs? Very wrong. Prison provides a service to society. We pay for that service out of our own pockets

> how is it wrong to make them at least cover their own costs? Very wrong. Prison provides a service to society. We pay for that service out of our own pockets for our own benefit. This should be true whether you think prison should be about punishment or reform. This should be true regardless of who runs the prison. If society is unwilling to pay the costs to segregate the population into guilty and not-guilty fractions, they should shut down the prisons and see how expensive that gets. Trying to offset the costs of that service through literal slavery is insane, immoral, and not in anyone's interest. No crime validates being turned into a slave. Someone being in prison has already been stripped of their freedom, and going further to lease them out as underpriced labor not only fucks with the labor market, but it should not be considered "just" punishment when PRISON is supposed to be the punishment. Making prisoners pay $2 for fifty cent ramen is just as unethical. If you are unwilling to pay the price for a society without criminals, imprison less people, make fewer criminals, or deal with the consequences. Functioning society has costs. Trying to escape those in such cruel ways is childish, selfish, and stupid.