B2 – Upper Intermediate
In the Sunshine State, Florida, the issue of prison labor raises significant ethical and economic questions, as a majority of incarcerated individuals are compelled to work without compensation. This practice, deeply ingrained in the state’s penal system, sparks debate over labor rights, rehabilitation, and the broader implications for justice and society.
Learn more about this issue by reading this article.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/21/florida-unpaid-prison-labor
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “to turn a blind eye” mean? ““Is it shocking that Florida is seeming to turn a blind eye to prison slavery? No, not at all,” said Bianca Tylek.” Make a sentence with this.
- Define “in the wake of something”. “No criminal charges were filed against the officers involved and no reforms were enacted in the wake of the incident.” Use this in a sentence.
- What does “unabated” mean? “Kimber Tough, an organizer with Florida Prisoner Solidarity based in Gainesville, Florida, helped with efforts to get Alachua county, Florida, in 2019 and the University of Florida in 2020 to stop using prison labor, which included numerous protests and advocacy efforts. But across the state, the practice still continues unabated.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘unabated’ in your own sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- How do you personally feel about the practice of unpaid labor by incarcerated individuals in Florida’s prisons?
- In your opinion, should inmates be properly compensated for their labor while incarcerated? Why or why not?
- How can individuals and communities advocate for changes in the treatment and compensation of incarcerated workers in Florida?
- State your insights on this statement, “Florida charges prisoners debt, with prisoners levied $50 a day for their incarceration, which can often leave people trapped in debt once they are released.“.
- Talk about the prison labor system in your country.
2 replies on “Florida’s Free Prison Labor”
Vocabulary Questions:
1. to ignore something that you know is wrong. The rest of the countries prefer to turn a blind eye.
2. something happens after and often because of it. Airport security was extra tight in the wake of yesterday’s strike problems.
3. something that doesnt become weaker in strength or force. Persistent and patient. It is one of the most unabated solidarity causes these days.
Discussion Questions:
1. It depends, if they are prisoners of little danger or very temporary, it does not seem right to me, but if they have committed serious crimes, it seems normal to me, we should not pay the rest of society for their maintenance.
2. I think it would be good to pay them, but at the same time charge them for their stay, so that if they want to work overtime they can make some profit.
3. If an important part of society agrees, modifying laws and reviewing this type of behavior, but I am almost certain that the majority agrees that it should not cost them money.
4. It seems normal to me, we all have expenses for housing, food, taxes… they should not cost money to the rest of society because they are imprisoned.
5. In my country it is a joke, many people prefer to be in prison than living on the street, criminals are treated too well, they have swimming pools, activities … I think it should not be so, if you commit a crime you should not have more facilities than many people in society.
1. According to the article, the prisoners in Florida’s prison are living in a slavery state which is completely unacceptable. It is incredible that the 13th amendment can make an exclusion regarding to the slavery, there should no exception to this point.
2. On the one hand, I do not understand why a prisoner has to stay indoor without doing anything when they are serving sentence. They should work to make up for the expenses they are incurring in prison. On the other hand, it is unfair that a person is working without receiving any reward. From my point of view, there should be a table with the expenses per inmate that the prison has to face every month, and the workers should receive a fair salary once deducted their own monthly expenses.
3. It is a political subject very difficult to change since Government is getting many a profit from this way of acting. I do not think that any County’s candidate raises this subject in his program since it would not be approved by most of the population.
4. It is an abuse that an inmate works for free during their confinement and when they are released, they have a debt with the State. All the expenses they have made have been already more than compensated with their work. Once again, it is a political issue that nobody has any interest in changing.
5. In Spain, inmates are given the opportunity to learn a profession and after that, they can work in it. There is a special regimen which regulates their salary, rights, and access to social security. The salary received is lower than the general regimen, but they also have the right to receive a payment in case they become unemployment.
In Spain, inmates are given the opportunity to learn a profession and after that, they can work in it. There is a special regimen which regulates their salary, rights, and access to Social Security. The salary received is lower than the general regimen which is applicable to the rest of population, but they also have right to receive a payment in case they become unemployment.