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I looked at their FAQ but even with their answer to "How did the researchers define modern slavery when they were estimating prevalence country by country?" I c

I looked at their FAQ but even with their answer to "How did the researchers define modern slavery when they were estimating prevalence country by country?" I cannot parse if they should count people in US Prisons that are forced to work on things like license plates and cleaning beaches of oil spills (among other things.)[1] I wonder what the US ranking would be then. [1] http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-prison-industry-in-the-united-states-big-business-or-a-new-form-of-slavery http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-prison-industry-in-the-unit... Any linguistic-types care to have a shot? (Sorry if this is construed as an anti-US post. It was just something that stood out to me since I read that article recently)

binarymax 13y ago
I came to say this as well, and I don't consider it anti-us...it is simply fact. But what percentage of the 2 million incarcerated adults are doing work? Are all inmates given labor?
- rurounijones 13y ago
  I have no idea which is why I was trying to figure out if they count them or not. They reckon there are approx 60,000 slaves in the US which would only be a tiny percentage of the 2 million which does not seem to jibe with what else I have read about.
  - vacri 13y ago
    Most of the slaves in western developed countries will be sex slaves - usually in the form of women lured from developing countries with false promises, who then have their passports revoked and are forceed to 'earn' them back, using sex work to pay off an extortionate sum. Edit: A woman was convicted of slavery in my hometown a few years back, but she won an appeal due to the differentiation in whether or not she thought she owned the people or saw herself as their employer. It was clearly exploitation, but was it legally slavery? That was what one her appeal. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/sex-slave-owner-wins-conviction-appeal/2007/06/27/1182623975426.html http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/sex-slave-owner-wins-...
vacri 13y ago
‘Slavery’ refers to the condition of treating another person as if they were property – something to be bought, sold, traded or even destroyed. Prisoners in the US aren't treated as property. Not to say they aren't mistreated, but they're generally not considered to be a commodity.
- rurounijones 13y ago
  I am not entirely sure. Some of the quotes like: “there won’t be any transportation costs; we’re offering you competitive prison labor (here).” Private prisons and opening of new prisons in counties so that they can get prisoners assigned to them and a "share of the profits" undermines that stance somewhat in my mind. It is tricky because there are aspects of their situations which match the list of "slavery" factors but are because they are convicted criminals serving their sentences so should be discounted. It is the splitting of punishment for crime vs coerced labour which is difficult.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- hawleyal 13y ago
  Split a few hairs there.
ams6110 13y ago
It's a mistake to set a moral equivalance between prison labor and slavery.
- rurounijones 13y ago
  You haven't made a case with that statement.

binarymax 13y ago

I came to say this as well, and I don't consider it anti-us...it is simply fact. But what percentage of the 2 million incarcerated adults are doing work? Are all inmates given labor?

rurounijones 13y ago
I have no idea which is why I was trying to figure out if they count them or not. They reckon there are approx 60,000 slaves in the US which would only be a tiny percentage of the 2 million which does not seem to jibe with what else I have read about.
- vacri 13y ago
  Most of the slaves in western developed countries will be sex slaves - usually in the form of women lured from developing countries with false promises, who then have their passports revoked and are forceed to 'earn' them back, using sex work to pay off an extortionate sum. Edit: A woman was convicted of slavery in my hometown a few years back, but she won an appeal due to the differentiation in whether or not she thought she owned the people or saw herself as their employer. It was clearly exploitation, but was it legally slavery? That was what one her appeal. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/sex-slave-owner-wins-conviction-appeal/2007/06/27/1182623975426.html http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/sex-slave-owner-wins-...

vacri 13y ago

‘Slavery’ refers to the condition of treating another person as if they were property – something to be bought, sold, traded or even destroyed. Prisoners in the US aren't treated as property. Not to say they aren't mistreated, but they're generally not considered to be a commodity.

rurounijones 13y ago
I am not entirely sure. Some of the quotes like: “there won’t be any transportation costs; we’re offering you competitive prison labor (here).” Private prisons and opening of new prisons in counties so that they can get prisoners assigned to them and a "share of the profits" undermines that stance somewhat in my mind. It is tricky because there are aspects of their situations which match the list of "slavery" factors but are because they are convicted criminals serving their sentences so should be discounted. It is the splitting of punishment for crime vs coerced labour which is difficult.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
hawleyal 13y ago
Split a few hairs there.

ams6110 13y ago

It's a mistake to set a moral equivalance between prison labor and slavery.

rurounijones 13y ago
You haven't made a case with that statement.