Modern Slavery: The American Penal System
SLAVERY IS ARGUABLY the most influential occurrence in modern world history. The Triangular Trade connecting Europe, Africa and the Americas is what fueled the Industrial Revolution and secured Europe's position as the world's dominating economic force. The world's dominating powers and the "success" of capitalism have depended on the forced labour (i.e. enslavement) of millions of human beings across many generations. The slave labour force and its infrastructures provided a solid foundation for the unpaid-for-production and processing of manufactured goods that have secured and maintained economic dominance for the European World.
So when did slave labour cease to be necessary for this mod-el? When did labour forcing millions of human beings become obsolete in the race to rule the World? Our history books and our government tell us that the world changed at the end of The Civil War; that slavery in the US ended with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. However, our observation and intelligence tell us that the labour of millions for the objectives of the colonial system is still in full effect and absolutely necessary for the powers that be to sustain their continuing economic domination.
There are countless ways in which the United States goes about enslaving its inhabitants. One of the most overt ways has been through the American penal or prison system. Like the enslavement of Africans before the Civil War, today's prison system is profitable and cruel. Like the chattel slavery imposed on our ancestors, the prison system favours "enslaving" citizens along racial lines, imprisoning a highly disproportionate number of people of colour - 1 in 9 young African American men, 1 in 100 African American women in their mid- to late 30's, and exponentially growing numbers of immigrant women and children.
The Thirteenth Amendment of The United States Constitution states: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." According to this Amendment, American citizens cross the line between freedom and enslavement by committing a crime. High crime jurisdictions tend to be those in areas with high levels of poverty, drugs, poorly funded schools, lack of jobs, etc. Many of the country's people of colour live in jurisdictions like these; and these citizens are much more vulnerable and likely to end up in the nation's prisons. Most of the imprisoned citizens of the U.S. are in prison for non-violent crimes. The government's "War on Drugs" has been responsible for over 65% of the country's current prison population.
Prison labour is one of the fastest growing work forces in the country, with hundreds of thousands of African Americans being systematically "captured" from their communities in America rather than from their villages in Africa. As private industry downsizes and workers find their jobs either dissolved or transferred overseas, our prison industry continues to expand, with mandatory sentencing restrictions and three-strikes policies to ensure the continued in-flow of enslaved people. The nation is seeing massive job cuts; yet almost every able-bodied U.S. prisoner is involved in a mandatory labour program. Both private companies and the U.S. government use large pools of prison labour for reasons that include lower wages, tax breaks and fewer labour regulations. According to the Left Business Observer, the federal prison industry produces 100% of all military helmets, ammunition belts, bullet-proof vests, ID tags, shirts, pants, tents, bags, and canteens. Along with war supplies, prison labourers supply 98% of all equipment assembly services; 93% of paints and paintbrushes; 92% of stove assembly; 46% of body armor; 36% of home appliances; 30% of headphones, microphones, and speakers; and 21% of office furniture. Prison labourers also produce airplane parts and medical supplies. Some prison programmes use prisoners even in public sector jobs (i.e. in Oregon, answering phones for the DMV).
The low wages prison slaves receive for their labour, the regulations that allow for longer work weeks (more than 40 hours), and the federal/state tax breaks given these modern enslavers (corporations) for using prison labour forces make domestic prison labour competitive with the overseas manufacturing plants many American corporations have turned to in the past for cheap labour. American companies that use prison labour include Boeing, Compaq, Dell, Microsoft, Starbucks, Victoria's Secret, Motorola, Eddie Bauer, among many more.
More than 2.3 million people are currently imprisoned in the U.S. (more than 7 million are behind bars, on probation, or on parole). The United States has only 5% of the world's population; yet it has 25% of the world's prison population! More African-Americans are under control today than there were enslaved 10 years before the Civil War started.
Once we understand the large impact the U.S. prison system has on the American economy, we can start to question what our history books have taught us. Maybe slavery did not end with the swipe of a pen in 1865.
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