The Advocate on Prison: “ Louisiana's slave labor and slave wages must be abolished.”

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Louisiana supports slave labor and slave wages. The question is whether our state Legislature and voters do, too.

Imagine fighting for slavery these days. Imagine arguing that some people are inferior, and therefore some of us should relegate them to menial and other tasks for nominal wages. Imagine being forced to work, and doing the work for a non-negotiated wage that amounts to pennies per hour.

If state Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Brusly, gets what he wants, he’ll get enough support in the Legislature to allow voters to amend the Louisiana Constitution to make involuntary servitude a thing of the past.

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Compared to a number of other legislative measures, a bill Jordan filed would simply strike a few words to eliminate a practice that he and prison reform advocates find unacceptable and ask Louisiana voters to approve the elimination of slavery for any purpose. Our constitution bans slavery — except when it is a part of punishment for people in prison because they’ve been convicted of a crime. If Jordan’s joint resolution is approved, the “individual dignity” language would simply read, “Slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited,” dropping “except in the latter case as punishment for crime.”

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