Especially since average prisoner pay is about one-tenth that amount.
Don’t get me wrong, American prisoners are treated horribly. But this still sounds like a better deal than most of them are getting.
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I’ve dug graves before (albeit not mass graves). It’s not a high skill occupation.
Like I said above everyone in the prison system is treated poorly, so I can certainly see why some would choose this work over sitting in their cells hoping not to die in a plague pit.
Under normal conditions prisoners can earn as little as 16 cents an hour for work. If these prisoners are being exploited, they’re still LESS exploited than most of their peers.
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Alternatively, “Are we there yet?”
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Those prisoners may very well be literally “digging their own graves”, that’s sadistic & cruel by any measure of the term. The risk far outweighs the end result.
But heres an idea: Volunteer and get a commuted sentence plus the $6 bucks an hour. That would have them jumping at the job. Plus that’s a fair deal for each side.
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That presumes that they are more risk here than they are in the prison.
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Still, prisoners should be given a fair pay / chance / incentive for their labor. They’re not slaves, they are human beings. Commuting their sentences is a win win, the GOV. saves money by not imprisoning them, and the prisoner gets an earlier release.
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I agree. Prison labor is inherently exploitative. But this particular prison labor appears less exploitative than most, not more. We should be working on reducing the prison population in general and advocate for fair pay for ALL prisoners, not just those suited for physical labor.
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lol way to go, imagining worst case scenarios. Do you work for insurance companies?
They are de facto slaves.
Few of the human rights and protections delineated by the Constitution are available for people incarcerated.
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1] Thank you very much for your continued civil conversation while we present each other’s ideas.
2] We are closer to the same ideas than we likely know.
My personal experience of being exploited at work comes heavily into play for this issue. i’ll sit with it for the day.
Again, thanks for the talk, and have a really fine day @Brainspore.
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My friend Rona says stop trying to make substituting her name for a deadly pandemic happen.
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Her name is Rona Virus, dang, tuff break…
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Yeah, but it’s safer to stay inside the car and avoid being exposed to the virus…
Less a “worst case scenario” and more an “inevitable consequence.” Ocean currents are a thing, and loose “debris” ends up on certain shores…
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That is, until the sharks…
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Isn’t prison pay typically closer to $0.25/hour? This could represent a substantial boost to someone’s income. Downside is almost certain close contact with infected dead bodies, but I’m not sure how much worse that is than being packed in small cells with live infected inmates, unable to leave for at least 2 weeks.
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The Gothamist sez
Prisoners earn as little as 16 cents/hour, and as much as $1.14/hour; in the 2015-2016 fiscal year, the average wage was 65 cents/hour.
So the bottom line is
- Are these prisoners being horribly exploited compared to non-incarcerated workers who make several times as much money for similar work? Yes, absolutely.
- Are these prisoners being offered a pretty sweet deal compared to their incarcerated peers who work for one-tenth the amount while trapped inside an overcrowded disease pit? Also yes.
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Yeah, that’s what I remember. Prison labor is basically modern day indentured servitude (aka Slavery light). On the other hand they get “free” room and board, just like slaves. A guy getting free room and board but less than minimum wage vs. someone who has to pay rent in NYC on a minimum wage salary is better off financially. They just have the problem of being in prison.
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On the other hand they get “free” room and board, just like slaves.
Ah, no.
Wisconsin is among at least 40 states where some inmates are required to pay daily room and board fees.
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Digging as in using shovels? Or operating a back hoe?
Shovels sound like a complete waste of resources in this day and age.
