That may be what Confused is stocking the shelves with right now!

Lunchista wrote:
Tesco re-starts slave trade

Was watching an episode of Q| yesterday on iplayer and was very surprised to learn that the states have reinvented the slave trade. 1% of the population is in prison which is bad enough but they make the prisoners make things such as 100% of us army helmets (as well as other bits of military equipment) are made by prisoners. If a prisoner refuses to work they are put in solitary confinement. Prisoners are not of cousrse payed. This makes the US able to compete with outsourcing to other countries such as mexicor

China.

hitchtom wrote:

Every day (except on weekends) they post a list of odd stories from around the world. As a keen follower of forteana I visit the list regularly. BTW, I meant to list in the "Is British Culture Dead" thread the Fortean Times as an indications that it is alive and kicking outside of the mainstream.



tom, i used to buy fortean times. i have a whole shelf full of em right here. i was toying with getting rid of them, but then a quick browse, reminds me they are actually Quite Good, and really should keep them.

Actually Mygul, I think that is not strictly true. I beleive it is illegal in our country to force prisoners to work, and that those that do must be paid--admittedly a pitance. Certain "privlages" such as extra access to the gym or excercise yard etc may also be tied to work. I'm not saying we treat prisoners well in the States, but there are real and effective legal safeguards against widespread institutionalized abuses of the sort you mention.

there are real and effective legal safeguards against widespread institutionalized abuses of the sort you mention.

indeed we in Alabama have "prisoner working" signs all over the place, digging ditches, clearing highways of road-kill, litter pick-up squads, and in Texas they still have chain-gangs, but without the chains,

They have this in New Jersey as well. But there it is voluntary, paid (again a pittance), and in the case of non-violent offenders, often counts towards reducing their sentence.

However if the system is being abused, Alabama and Texas are the too most likely candidates for it.

Indeed hitchtom

I met a distant relative last summer, who, has spent time shall I say,"trying out" these facilities in many states, and will not go to Texas ever again, he is now "trying out" one in southern Louisiana, and from what I have heard he wont be going back there either (when he is released)

GADGET wrote:
there are real and effective legal safeguards against widespread institutionalized abuses of the sort you mention.

indeed we in Alabama have "prisoner working" signs all over the place, digging ditches, clearing highways of road-kill, litter pick-up squads, and in Texas they still have chain-gangs, but without the chains, so, erm, just gangs, then.

Lunchista wrote:
GADGET wrote:
there are real and effective legal safeguards against widespread institutionalized abuses of the sort you mention.

indeed we in Alabama have "prisoner working" signs all over the place, digging ditches, clearing highways of road-kill, litter pick-up squads, and in Texas they still have chain-gangs, but without the chains, so, erm, just gangs, then.

Well "gangs" but heavily supervised by sadistic bull necked "corrections officers" wielding pump action shot guns. You only have to worry about these folks when the get released and take up where they left off....