Literally all it does is replace the line in the California State Constitution that says “Involuntary servitude is prohibited except to punish crime” with a line that says “Slavery of any form is prohibited” and then defines slavery as “forced labor compelled by the use or threat of physical or legal coercion”
Nobody needed it. They don’t force people to work in prison, but if you do it shows your willingness to go with the program and better yourself instead of joining gangs. There’s a good reason for people getting reductions in sentences or good boy points for working and it’s not slavery.
If everyone is required to work, it’s not really a “work and you leave sooner” situation it’s a “don’t work and you stay longer” situation. Besides if the work is already not cohersed, why would there be any opposition to banning cohersed labor?
Here’s the full text of the bill.
Literally all it does is replace the line in the California State Constitution that says “Involuntary servitude is prohibited except to punish crime” with a line that says “Slavery of any form is prohibited” and then defines slavery as “forced labor compelled by the use or threat of physical or legal coercion”
Nobody needed it. They don’t force people to work in prison, but if you do it shows your willingness to go with the program and better yourself instead of joining gangs. There’s a good reason for people getting reductions in sentences or good boy points for working and it’s not slavery.
The original proposal was written by a former inmate who was forced to sanatize cells during the height of the pandemic.
https://www.abc10.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/to-the-point/involuntary-servitude-california-constitution/103-a116da15-b252-42cc-8f55-37d980d83e3f
California law requires all able bodied prisoners to work:
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=2700&lawCode=PEN
If everyone is required to work, it’s not really a “work and you leave sooner” situation it’s a “don’t work and you stay longer” situation. Besides if the work is already not cohersed, why would there be any opposition to banning cohersed labor?