Californians voted in the November election to keep wording in the state constitution that allows involuntary servitude in state prisons.
With 53.3% voting against Proposition 6, incarcerated individuals will not have the option to earn sentence-reducing credits through participation in work programs and will face disciplinary action for rejecting assigned work.
In rejecting Proposition 6, The Campanile thinks Californians made the right decision.
Prison labor has economic and rehabilitative benefits, and The Campanile values the economic benefit of maintaining so-called involuntary servitude in prisoins.
The work of incarcerated individuals reduces operational costs within prisons and contributes to the State workforce.
Additionally, passing Prop 6 would have cost California an estimated $1.5 billion more yearly to pay incarcerated individuals minimum wage, a significant portion of the $14.3 billion annual prison budget.
Currently, arduous jobs in prison are voluntary and wages compensate for difficulty and danger.
For example, incarcerated individuals who volunteer to help combat wildfires can get paid up to $10 per day, according to Governing, a non-partisan magazine on state-local government.
In addition, because the Americans with Disabilities Act protections apply to prisons, incarcerated individuals may be entitled to accommodations for their disabilities.
Due to the many options afforded to incarcerated individuals in California, The Campanile thinks it is reasonable to require work in the form of prison maintenance.
Mandated work also serves to keep incarcerated individuals busy while simultaneously developing their job skills.
Not only will prison work prepare them for jobs upon release, but less idle time among incarcerated individuals will lower violence within prisons, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
While ideally, California could provide rehabilitation for incarcerated individuals, rehabilitation programs within California do not have a history of success.
State data shows only 40% of incarcerated individuals utilized services offered to them by a $100 million rehabilitation program. in 2020
Thus, The Campanile thinks involuntary servitude is a more cost-efficient and effective method of preparing incarcerated individuals for life after prison than rehabilitation efforts.
However, The Campanile does have reservations about the current system. Since Colorado became the first state to outlaw involuntary servitude in prisons in 2018, incarcerated individuals have reported continual subjection to forced labor.
Furthermore, according to the Scholars Strategy Network, 94% of incarcerated individuals earn between 8 cents and 37 cents per hour, significantly below the state minimum wage of $16 per hour.
Even though most work is menial, we think wages should be standardized for jobs such as kitchen or janitorial work.
The Campanile understands enslaving incarcerated individuals is morally unjust.
However, we agree with the majority of Californians that our current laws do not cross the line into slavery.
If California provides just accommodations, only requires menial work, and pays according to labor difficulty, prisons should demand work of those who are incarcerated.
