Prison labor is the services provided by inmates for minimal wages, either voluntary or involuntary. It provokes controversial debates in many states as some people argue that it exploits the inmates. On the other hand, supporters of prison labor claim that it acts as a rehabilitation strategy for the prisoners. The article, The Political Economy of Prison Labour: From Penal Welfarism to the Penal State by Shah & Scherrer aims to trace the return of commercial prison labor in the USA after its abolishment, which occurred during the Fordism era. Furthermore, as the article tries to unveil the shift. It depicts that the major causes of commercial prison labor return are specific market conditions and racial discrimination. The article's main theme revolves around factors that have led to prison labor return for commercial purposes in the USA.
The article suggests that the oscillation between re-socialization and profit contributed to the return of prison labor. Based on history, prison labor's initial purpose was to impart prisoners with relevant social skills. Additionally, it purposed to ensure that felons would transition back to society easily after their jail sentence, especially after the long-term imprisonment replaced the harsh punishment like hanging and torture (Shah & Scherrer, 2017). Unfortunately, the initial motives of prison labor drifted for commercial purposes. The contractual labor system became dominant (Shah & Scherrer, 2017). Consequently, the prison administrations began renting the prisoners to private companies and people. Fortunately, during the Fordism age, prison labor was abolished through the adoption of appropriate policies. One of the USA's strategies was banning the use of all goods produced through forced labor (Shah & Sherrer, 2017). Additionally, the number of inmates remained stable and low during the age of Fordism.
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Unfortunately, after the civil movement, the number of inmates exploded as more blacks were imprisoned. Consequently, it contributed to prison labor due to the high number of inmates who would provide labor services at minimum wages. After the civil movement, violence broke between the whites and blacks. Although civil rights had been secured, black people were not allowed to participate in the American Dream of equal opportunities, notably after Martin Luther's death (Shah & Sherrer, 2017). As a result, riots erupted, thus leading to violence between the whites and blacks. The conflict was initiated by the white policemen who used excessive force toward the protesting black people. The majority of the whites supported that black people should be arrested because they were responsible for the violence. Additionally, the then condition led to the establishment of racial hierarchy. The whites took their children to secluded private schools, whereas the blacks who could not afford private schools remained in public schools.
Additionally, based on the article, market conditions contributed significantly to the return of prison labor in the USA. The article illustrates that prison expenditures and costs increased immensely in the 21 st century (Shah & Sherrer, 2017). As a result, the government was under financial pressure, and it tried to minimize penal system costs by cutting the opportunities for training and rehabilitation. Unfortunately, the strategies implemented did not solve the problem. Therefore, forcing incarceration facilities to use prison labor to generate income. The prison financing shifted from public to self-assisting (Shah & Sherrer, 2017). Inmates are expected to contribute financially to their imprisonment. As a result, leading to prison labor for commercial services. Furthermore, the re-commodification of prison labor contributes to the commercial use of prison work. The Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program legalized and permitted private firms to contract prison laborers (Shah & Sherrer, 2017). Additionally, because prisons were granted the mandate to operate privately, they used prison labor for commercial purposes.
This article relates to the course, based on the initial ideology of prison labor. It suggests that prison labor was initially formulated for training purposes and equipping inmates with relevant social and work skills. Inmates might be secluded socially during the imprisonment period. Consequently, they may forget about appropriate social skills. Prison labor may help inmates connect with other people maintain a social life while serving their jail sentence. Additionally, the article states that prison labor is essential in helping inmates' easy transition back to society after completing their sentences. Similarly, the course offers similar insights. Furthermore, both the article and course claim that prison labor act as a rehabilitation strategy for inmates by training them with appropriate moral and social skills. Therefore, leading to the promotion of good behavior among prisoners, consequently helping them be responsible people in society after completing their sentences.
The article contains impactful information, and most of it is valid and true. Additionally, the article has used trusted sources, thus making the information valid. However, it contains some parts that appear to be misleading. For instance, the subheading, Taking Blacks to Jail, appears biased. Based on the tone used in that section and the general theme of the article, one can conclude that it was not right to imprison the blacks. A reader can easily perceive that the blacks were arrested as a result of mere discrimination.
However, the contents in that section illustrate that the black people arrested engaged in criminal behaviors. The authority arrested most of the black people due to drug-related offenses. Furthermore, the majority of black people used illicit drugs that were highly harmful, like crack. The subheading is misleading and unnecessary. Their races do not define criminals; the word black was irrelevant because they were not detained based on their skin color but rather their illegal practices. The subheading would have been correct if the blacks were innocent and still incarcerated or incase a biasness existed in the imprisonment procedure between black Americans and whites.
Reference
Shah, A., & Scherrer, C. (2017). The Political Economy of Prison Labour: From Penal Welfarism to the Penal State. Global Labour Journal , 8 (1), 32–48. https://doi.org/10.15173/glj.v8i1.2774
