Prison labor or modern day slavery?

<p>Is your favorite business employing what could easily be described as contemporary slavery to cut costs and push product? Would you even know if the answer were yes?</p><p>The truth is, you probably wouldn’t. That’s because the prison-industrial complex in the United States is deeply entrenched in just about every sector of the economy, from military manufacturing to apple picking. And more often than not, that prison-industrial complex is rigged against low-income Americans and people of color.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>So what do we do about it? </strong>That’s what we’re covering today on Business Casual with Ashish Prashar, a widely respected justice reform advocate and former young offender.&nbsp;</p><p>Ashish explains the importance of prison labor for both corporations and state economies, the necessity of prison-industrial reform, and the hard truth of America’s incarceration problem.&nbsp;</p><ul><li>But first, he masterfully provides the historical context for prison labor as it exists today—a system which relies on a Reconstruction era loophole essentially allowing for modern day slavery.&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p>This is a tough conversation to have...when was the last time you were forced to reconcile your modern beliefs with a Constitutional amendment ratified in 1865? But it’s way past time to have the conversation. Ashish offers a remarkable starting point for anyone who wants to learn more about the prison-industrial complex—I hope you’ll listen now.</p><p><strong>+ While we’re here:</strong> I drew on my conversation with Ashish to write about the prison-industrial complex in my new Business Casual column. Read that piece <a href="https://column.businesscasual.fm/prison-industrial-complex" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> and subscribe to the weekly newsletter <a href="https://column.businesscasual.fm/signup" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>