DADEVILLE, Ala. — For over 150 years, Alabama has been at the forefront of employing incarcerated individuals through contracts with private firms. This extensive labor system has roots that trace back to the harsh convict leasing period, which emerged in the wake of slavery, establishing a model for the financial exploitation tied to mass incarceration.

Numerous businesses, including Best Western, Bama Budweiser, and Burger King, have engaged in leasing labor from Alabama’s notoriously violent and overcrowded prison system. A comprehensive two-year investigation revealed that in just the past five years, more than 500 companies have employed inmates. This arrangement has yielded over $250 million for the state since the year 2000, with funds primarily sourced from deductions made on the earnings of prisoners’ paychecks.

**Job Availability and Wages**
Most inmates in Alabama can be sentenced to hard labor performed within the prison facilities, often working for no pay in roles such as janitorial tasks or laundry service. However, in recent years, an impressive 10,000 inmates have collectively worked 17 million hours outside prison walls, engaging with various employers including governmental bodies and businesses ranging from prominent auto part manufacturers to meat-processing companies and distributors for major retailers like Walmart.

While there is potential for financially compensated positions outside of prison, refusing to work can lead to severe repercussions. Denied family visits and transfers to maximum-security facilities, notorious for their dangerous conditions, are among the potential punishments. In fact, a federal lawsuit filed four years ago that remains unresolved argues that the treatment of inmates is unconstitutional. The stakes are high; rejecting job assignments could jeopardize an inmate’s prospects for early release, especially in a state where only 8% of eligible inmates received parole last year, historically one of the lowest rates nationwide. This figure has more than doubled this year due to growing public concern.

**Oversight and Accountability**
In contrast to many other states, Alabama allows inmates with convictions for serious offenses, including murder and assault, to work within civilian environments. These prisoners can serve sentences of 15 years or longer without any oversight by correctional staff while performing work outside of their facilities. This lack of supervision has resulted in escapes, informally referred to as “walkaways.”

Kelly Betts from the corrections department defended this system, asserting that these work programs are essential for preparing inmates for reintegration into society. She highlighted that even those facing life sentences without parole can qualify for work assignments. “Each inmate’s situation is unique, and each inmate is evaluated on his or her own record,” Betts stated.

While many companies did not reply to inquiries about their practices, those that did mentioned they adhere to policies against forced labor and plan to conduct investigations into their civil labor utilization.

**Financial Implications**
The investigation involved an analysis of two decades’ worth of monthly statistical reports from the Alabama corrections department to determine that more than $250 million has been accrued from the state’s contracts with private businesses and deductions on inmates’ earnings since 2000. More than 83,000 pages of public records also revealed that in addition to contracts with public employers—including roles at landfills and even in the governor’s mansion—around 500 private companies have hired prisoners over the last five years. This extensive data was cross-verified with a state database detailing the inmates’ crimes, sentences, time served, race, and credits earned or revoked.

**Voices from Advocacy Groups**
Most advocates for prisoners agree that abolishing outside jobs is not a feasible option. In many cases, these jobs can provide relief from the rampant violence that plagues the state’s correctional facilities. Recent reports indicate that an inmate dies almost daily in Alabama’s prisons, a rate five times that of the national average.

However, advocates contend that inmates should receive fair wages, options to work free from the fear of punishment, and the same workplace rights and protections allocated to civilian employees. Nationally, incarcerated workers cannot form unions, protest, or strike for improved working conditions. Additionally, they are not typically classified as employees, which complicates the pursuit of legal recourse for injuries or deaths suffered in the course of their labor.