Latest Forced labor News
Alabama profits off prisoners who work at McDonald’s but deems them too dangerous for parole
DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A storm was looming when the inmate serving 20 years for armed robbery was assigned to transport fellow prisoners to their jobs at private manufacturers supplying goods to companies like Home Depot and Wayfair. It didn’t matter that Jake Jones once had escaped or that he...
Takeaways from The Associated Press’ reporting on prison labor in Alabama
DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP) — No state has a longer, more profit-driven history of contracting prisoners out to private companies than Alabama. With a sprawling labor system that dates back more than 150 years — including the brutal convict leasing era that replaced slavery — it has constructed a...
Today in History: December 6, 13th Amendment ratified, abolishing slavery
Today is Friday, Dec. 6, the 341st day of 2024. There are 25 days left in the year. Today in history: On Dec. 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery, was ratified as Georgia became the 27th state to endorse it. Also on...
South Korea holds memorial for forced laborers in Japan after boycotting Japanese event
SADO, Japan (AP) — South Korea commemorated wartime Korean forced laborers at Japan’s Sado gold mines in a ceremony Monday, a day after boycotting a similar event organized by Japan, as tensions over historical atrocities continue to strain relations between the two sides. ...
Japan holds first memorial for 'all workers' at Sado gold mines but blurs WWII atrocity. Why?
SADO, Japan (AP) — Japanese officials have held a memorial ceremony near the Sado Island Gold Mines, listed in July as a UNESCO World Heritage site after Japan moved past years of historical disputes with South Korea and reluctantly acknowledged the mines' dark history. However, it has not...
California voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California voters have rejected a measure on the November ballot that would have amended the state constitution to ban forced prison labor. The constitution already prohibits so-called involuntary servitude, but an exception allows it to be used as a...
California voters reject proposed ban on forced prison labor in any form
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California voters have rejected a measure amending the state Constitution to ban forced labor in any form. The constitution currently bans it except as punishment for crime. That exemption became a target of criminal justice advocates who are concerned...
California voters pass initiative to make some shoplifting and drug offenses felonies
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California voters decided on 10 ballot measures including one that would turn some nonviolent crimes, like shoplifting, into felonies again, and another that would make the state’s minimum wage the highest in the nation. Here’s a look at some of the...
Nevada voted to make abortion a constitutional right. What to know about key ballot measures
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A ballot question to enshrine Nevada’s abortion rights in the state constitution has received its first nod of approval from voters, who must also approve the measure in 2026 in order to amend the constitution. The measure passed early Wednesday morning. ...
Takeaways from The Associated Press investigation into sexual abuse of incarcerated women
As part of a sweeping two-year investigation into prison labor, The Associated Press found that correctional staff nationwide have been accused of using inmate work assignments to sexually abuse incarcerated women, luring them to isolated spots, out of view of security cameras. Many cases follow a...
