Prison inmates across the country are amid a two-week strike to protest what they say are exploitative labor practices and unfair treatment by the criminal justice system. In California, more than 2,000 inmates are currently fighting the state’s wildfires, earning a dollar an hour. Forum examines the history, ethics and legality of inmate labor.
The History and Ethics of Inmate Labor
28:14
Prisoners at Oak Glen Conservation Camp leave the minimum security prison for work deployment under the authority of Cal Fire on September 28, 2017 near Yucaipa, California. (Photo: David McNew/AFP/Getty Images)
Guests:
Sharon Dolovich, law professor, UCLA School of Law
Alex Lichtenstein, professor of labor history, Indiana University
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