The plaintiffs, who also include several labor unions and the criminal justice nonprofit Woods Foundation, say the system amounts to a “modern-day form of slavery” comparable to convict-leasing programs that existed after the Civil War. They accused more than two dozen defendants — including state officials, government agencies and private employers ― of violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, among other charges.
The plaintiffs “have been entrapped in a system of ‘convict leasing’ in which they are forced to work, often for little or no money, for the benefit of the numerous government entities and private businesses that ‘employ’ them,” the complaint alleges.
The complaint was filed as a class-action lawsuit, meaning the court will have to certify the plaintiffs as a class before the case can proceed.
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Article URL : https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/12/12/alabama-prison-labor-lawsuit/