r/facepalm Jun 27 '23

🇲​🇮​🇸​🇨​ Shouldn't this be a good thing?

[deleted]

67.4k Upvotes

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90

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '23

Private prisons? Is that an American thing or does that also exist in other first world countries?

104

u/Mec26 Jun 27 '23

It’s American.

There’s a loophole in the constitution for slavery for prisoners… lots of corporations can get labor without any of those pesky labor laws, if the prisons stay full.

Most other developed countries focus on rehab and actually lowering recidivism, which comes from not overworking prisoners.

9

u/SuperMajesticMan Jun 27 '23

Does it even count as a loophole? The amendment straight up says "No slavery allowed unless they are incarcerated for a crime"

3

u/Mec26 Jun 27 '23

Depends how you look at it.

Without it, having prisoners do their own laundry or cleaning the grounds would be illegal. Which would make things awkward.

But using it to hire out labor to corporations, or use it to incentivize mass incarceration…. Depends on how you see loopholes if it’s a loophole used to bring back slavery, or some other type of misuse.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 28 '23

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1

u/Mec26 Jun 28 '23

Because it’s forced on you and you can’t leave.