Rehabilitate prisoners? Actually, Arizona’s prison labor program is more like slavery – By Editorial board (Arizona Republic) / Aug 1, 2022
Opinion: Arizona’s prison work program claims to rehabilitate prisoners, but it exploits their cheap labor simply for profit. It’s abhorrent. And it must end.
Leasing human beings to profiteers is morally wrong.
It’s no less so when the leasing is done by government and the human beings are prisoners.
In fact, it is akin to slave labor.
It raises serious questions about our public institutions and the people we entrust to guide them.
That’s the central takeaway from a joint investigative series The Arizona Republic and KJZZ conducted over 15 months. What reporters found is a Department of Corrections work program that exploits prisoners to the benefit of private companies and municipalities alike.
