@GeePawHill

'Traces of the #convict lease system remain as forms of convict labor—and debate over their use—continue in penitentiaries today. Across #Georgia, prisoners still perform labor for the state—cleaning roadsides, working on prison farms, and maintaining public facilities—with little or no pay. Private companies can hire out Georgia #prisoners for labor, with workers being paid significantly below minimum wage to sew clothing, produce food, and manufacture furniture. The Georgia Department of Corrections maintains contracts with private prison corporations, placing thousands of inmates in the care of for-profit companies, and African Americans continue to compose a disproportionate share of the state’s #prison population. Policies surrounding prison labor continue to be a source of controversy and a target for reform, not only in Georgia, but nationwide.'

https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/exhibition/the-new-south-and-the-new-slavery-convict-labor-in-georgia/