Where is 1% of the American adult population?

[Taelas]

Hi,

Especially the question 'is this slavery?'

No. These are people who have been incarcerated either because of a trial or a plea bargain. Whether the laws they broke are just or the sentence they received is appropriate is an entirely different question. The fact remains that they are legally incarcerated for offenses against society. While they are incarcerated, society supplies their needs. There is nothing wrong (and a lot of good) in demanding that they contribute to the cost of that support. Indeed, the value of their output comes nowhere near to covering all of their cost, much less making a profit.

Whether or not they were legally incarcerated isn't the point; slavery was legal once. It was used as punishment for criminal activities. Slaves were fed and clothed by their owners.

There is a LOT of corollary, and I do not think the question can be dismissed out of hand.

The same is true, even more so, for convicts. Modern stupidity considers forcing these people to work to be some infringement on their rights. If these people were not in jail and not criminals, doesn't their need for food, etc., force them to work? Is locking criminals up and then leaving them alone with nothing to do but pump iron and get tattoos a smart thing to do? Does it help in rehabilitation, or does it increase the deterrence value of prison?

They would not be forced to work if they were free, no -- not any more forced than the next man.

I agree that locking them up without giving them something to do is not a good idea, but I don't see forcing them to work on producing goods for the military as any better.

If it isn't slave labor, it's the next thing to it.