The 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States, included a loophole to allow forced labor for people convicted of a crime. And to date, just seven U.S. states have closed this loophole and abolished slavery behind bars in their state constitutions.

This is devastating, but ultimately, not surprising: prison labor is incredibly valuable to states. Each year, an estimated $14 billion in wages is extracted from the labor of incarcerated people.

Sign your name to say you agree that we need to end slavery in the United States prison system.

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Lawmakers in the United States have deliberately created a criminal legal system intended to strip people of their humanity, exploit them, and tear their families and communities apart. And for what?

Incarceration doesn’t make us safer. It doesn’t rehabilitate people. It doesn’t advance justice.

Add your name to say no to forced prison labor >>

In solidarity,

Vera Institute of Justice

PAID FOR BY VERA INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE

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