California Voters Reject Ban on Forced Prison Labor

California voters have rejected Proposition 6, a measure amending the state Constitution to ban forced labor in any form, the AP reports. The constitution currently bans it except as punishment for crime. That exemption became a target of criminal justice advocates who are concerned about prison labor conditions. People who are incarcerated are often paid less than $1 an hour to fight fires, clean cells, make license plates, and do landscaping work at cemeteries. The Washington Post notes that prisons are permitted to punish prisoners for not completing assigned tasks by taking away privileges, such as family visits. Proposition 6 would have made such work voluntary and taken away punishment.

We really did do the best that we could," says a rep for the Proposition 6 campaign, citing widespread misunderstanding about what the measure entailed. "But a part of the challenge that we always knew we would have would be voter education." The initiative was included in a package of reparations proposals introduced by lawmakers as part of an effort to atone and offer redress for a history of racism and discrimination against Black Californians. Several other states, including Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee, and Vermont, have in recent years approved constitutional amendments removing slavery and involuntary servitude exceptions.