Slavery didn’t end — it evolved
Yes, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude — “except as a punishment for crime.” This allowed southern governments to institute convict leasing — allowing people arrested for minor offenses — predominantly Black Americans — to be purchased from state and local governments by individuals and companies looking for cheap labor. While convict leasing ended in the mid-20th century, the majority of incarcerated workers in the US, who are disproportionately Black and people of color, are still forced to work for slave wages — or face retaliation such as solitary confinement.
Today, slavery continues as the state uses forced labor to control and dehumanize people in prison—and uphold an economic system that takes advantage of the most vulnerable.
When we create real employment opportunities in our prisons, we can make it possible for incarcerated people to support their families while they’re on the inside, gain valuable employment skills for when they return to our communities, and spark economic development and taxpayer savings for all of us. By passing legislation to reclassify incarcerated people as “workers,” Minnesota can lead the nation in transforming corrections from a revolving door of control and exploitation to a pathway to rehabilitation and lasting prosperity for our communities.
Our Bills
We are advancing two key bills at the state legislature to end slavery in our constitution and our prisons:
HF 3335 / SF 3536, introduced by Representative Pinto and Senator Champion would eliminate the slavery clause in Minnesota’s constitution,prohibiting slavery or involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime.
HF 5104 / SF 5277, introduced by Representative Frazier and Senator Oumou-Verbeten, would change the definition of employee to explicitly include incarcerated people, so they would have basic workers rights, like being paid the state minimum wage.
No matter who we are or what’s in our past, every Minnesotan deserves a fair wage and respect in their workplace.
But right now, incarcerated workers are classified as slaves, forced to work for as little as 25¢ per hour in meaningless jobs.
Slavery impacts all of us
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People in Minnesota’s prisons are forced to work for as little as $0.25 to $2.00 an hour. This modern-day slavery is legal, as imprisoned people are the exception to the constitutionally guaranteed right not to be enslaved. Ending prison slavery and ensuring fair wages for workers in prison will improve public safety, save taxpayer dollars, and create a more prosperous and equitable Minnesota for all.
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Research shows that the societal benefits of increasing wages for incarcerated people far exceed the marginal cost of increased wages for taxpayers.
In fact, one study found that for every dollar spent on incarcerated workers' payroll, the state reaps $2.40 to $3.16 in benefits due to decreased recidivism, increased tax revenue, increased money for families of incarcerated people, increased restitution to victims, and higher wages for people when they return to contribute to their communities.
As demonstrated by the Minnesota Department of Corrections’ own research, we know that employment and job training in Minnesota’s prisons both improves our economy as well as our public safety. For example:
People employed in MN prisons are less likely to recidivate and die of unnatural causes, and more likely to find employment in the first year of release.
Support to help people find and retain livable wage employment upon release reduced the risk of recidivism by 27% to 66%.
Participation in work release reduced reincarceration by 17%, increased the odds of employment after release eightfold, and produced $1.25 million in increased tax revenue and prison cost avoidance.
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1 in 2 people in the United States has had a family member incarcerated, 1 in 7 has had a family member in prison for at least one year, and 1 in 34 has had an immediate family member spend 10+ years in prison.
Families of incarcerated people often bear the burden of helping their loved ones meet their basic needs while suffering from the lost household income of losing a family member to prison.
Monthly costs to support and visit a loved one can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
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Poverty is a strong predictor of the likelihood of being arrested. Nearly half of people with multiple arrests in 2019 had incomes below $10,000 per year.
Right now, prison slave wages perpetuate poverty by stealing $100 million per year from our most vulnerable families and communities.
Research has repeatedly shown that poverty increases the chances of recidivism and arrest. One study that included formerly incarcerated women in the Twin Cities found that those in poverty were 4.6 times as likely to be rearrested and 12.7 times as likely to violate supervision.
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Prison slavery is a racial justice issue, and racial inequity in Minnesota is exacerbated by the costs of imprisonment and the lack of livable wages. The legacy and racism of slavery live on in the treatment of incarcerated workers.
Black people account for 8% of Minnesota’s population and 39% of the prison population, while American Indians are 1% of the population and 9% of the prison population
The unemployment rate for Black people is 2.6 times as high, and for American Indians is 3.5 times as high, as that of white people in Minnesota.
The poverty rate for Black Minnesotans is 3.3 times as high, and for American Indian Minnesotans is 4.3 times as high as white Minnesotans.
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Helping people meet their needs is a proven public safety strategy for addressing the roots of crime and reducing recidivism. Increasing the minimum wage has been shown to decrease recidivism rates.
Community supports such as expanding Medicaid (20-32% reduction in arrests), providing supportive housing (40% reduction in arrests), repairing neighborhoods (22% reduction in homicides), and providing youth summer jobs (23% reduction in felony arrests) have been proven to reduce crime and arrests.
We can unlock Minnesota’s potential by providing incarcerated people with living wages and jobs that translate into gainful employment on the outside.
Minnesota’s prison population is increasingly more educated, with 91% having at least a high school diploma and 39% having a post-secondary certification or degree. If we provide real opportunities for these people to earn their living, our economy will prosper, our state will increase its tax revenue, and our communities will be safer.