One should never discuss money, religion or politics in polite company.
However, in discussing the LSU Inmate Labor Program, all three wind together to create a delicate new culture of excuses.
As you’ve probably seen, the University hires inmates — fresh out of the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel and the Dixon Correctional Institute in Jackson — to assist the LSU Landscape Services Department in tending to the campus.
This cheap labor is responsible for the bulk of beautification projects across campus, including refurbishing the Parade Ground and creating the Student Government Class Gift Project outside Dodson Auditorium.
How cheap is this labor? Compared to a normal labor force, it costs next to nothing.
Using inmate labor saves the University upwards of $600,000 a year, according to an April 17 Daily Reveille article.
Considering the program was implemented in 1994, the savings now tower past $9 million after 15 years, making savings the primary justification for slave labor at the University.
Most wouldn’t feel comfortable calling inmates “slaves,” but that’s exactly what they are according to the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:
“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.”
But the University isn’t the only state entity to use this cheap labor force.
In July 2006, The New York Times highlighted the benefits of this program by exploring the example of East Carroll Parish, in which inmates make up more than 10 percent of the population and most of its labor force.
East Carroll Parish, having one of the highest incarceration rates in the state, has seen its free population decrease by 20 percent from 1980 to 2000, while its prison population rose, according to The New York Times.
Inmates aren’t in short supply in Louisiana. One of every 55 Louisiana adults is currently locked up, compared to one in 100 adults incarcerated nationally. With a surplus of inmates, demand for the cheap labor force has skyrocketed.
Predictably, after the slaves were freed by the 13th Amendment, overall prison populations in the Old South increased dramatically and at a disproportionate rate for African-Americans.
Pretty soon, prison wardens and sheriffs leased their inmates to worried former plantation owners who had just lost their precious commodities — the slaves — and needed cheap labor to tend to their crops and farms, growing the concept of “convict leasing.”
This fact isn’t lost on the citizens who gladly welcome the cheap labor.
“It’s jokingly referred to as ‘rent-a-convict,’” Michael Brewer, a lawyer and former public defender in Alexandria, told the Times. “There’s something offensive about that. It’s almost like a form of slavery.”
Before insinuations are made, it’s important to note that our inmates have a choice. They choose to become part of this program, signing up for many benefits ranging from simply getting outside to getting a reduced sentence.
At the same time, “if one of them were to refuse, you can imagine the repercussions,” according to Brewer.
LSU Landscape Services gladly welcomed the fresh labor.
“We have a dire need to use inmates,” Debbi Coltharp, Landscape Services horticulturalist, told The Daily Reveille. “For the campus, the inmates are providing services that would be neglected because we don’t have enough manpower.”
In defense of inmate labor, Coltharp and local law enforcement routinely cite moral rehabilitation as key to re-entering mainstream society after their release, essentially equating work ethic with atoning for one’s sins.
Provided this win-win situation, inmates are turned into slaves working for the profit of prison wardens, sheriffs and University departments.
The problem with moral rehabilitation, though, is the ineffectiveness of the program, shown best by looking at recidivism rates, or the percentage of inmates re-entering corrections after their initial release.
When the Louisiana Department of Corrections began tracking faith-based recidivism rates, they touted promising numbers. In 1999, 29.8 percent of inmates engaged in faith-based programs were sent back to prison. That number fell to 25.4 percent after two years, while the overall state recidivism rate fell from 49 percent to 34 percent, according to the Department of Corrections’ Web site.
Clearly, faith-based initiatives fail to curb recidivism rates compared to the status quo.
All of our campus inmate workers are non-violent offenders, the majority of which were arrested for drug-related offenses. One need only look at the racial disparity in drug-related arrests — overwhelmingly disenfranchising African-Americans — to see the problems in our correctional policy.
By pretending inmates need to work and discover the fruits of their labor, the University perpetuates the convict leasing legacy, employing slaves to tend to the gardens and legacy projects.
One wonders whether former SG President Colorado Robertson, who spearheaded the Class Gift project, is comfortable with his own legacy brick sitting in the literal center of the state’s own legacy of slave labor.
Eric Freeman Jr. is a 22-year-old political science senior from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_efreeman.
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Contact Eric Freeman at efreeman@lsureveille.com
Freeman of Speech: Budget woes provide fresh excuses for prison labor
Published: Monday, August 24, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, August 25, 2009
As you mentioned - it is something they have to sign up for. There are benefits. And it does in some cases reduce prison sentences. It also may give them a feeling of some self worth, which cannot be underestimated.
This is all speculation. But slavery is a stretch to me, especially because slavery - in most cases - connotes African ancestry, and this program affects men and women of all races. Slaves were also innocent. I don't think it's fair to link innocent slaves to those who are being forced to work as punishment for crimes. Convicted felons also lose voting rights. Slaves didn't have voting rights. But it's unfair to draw a parallel because felons did something to lose that right. “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.”
This also states that the exception is punishment of a crime -- which is clear for convicts. I believe in the fair treatment of prisoners, but we can not lose sight of the fact that prison is a punishment for wrongdoing. It's not a vacation.
I respectfully disagree with your column. But I look forward to your future work! :)