Alabama Prison System Facing Lawsuit Alleging Forced Labor and Unconstitutional Conditions of Confinement

The Alabama Department of Corrections and the Alabama attorney general are facing a lawsuit in federal court from current and former inmates who allege that the state’s prison labor system amounts to a “modern-day form of slavery.” The lawsuit, supported by labor unions, claims that Alabama profits to the tune of more than $450 million a year through coerced work, and that fast food companies and other private corporations benefit from an unlawful “labor trafficking scheme.”

Janet Herold, the legal director of Justice Catalyst Law, said Tuesday that the forced labor scheme in the Alabama prison system is the modern reincarnation of the notorious convict leasing system that replaced slavery after the Civil War. The proposed class action lawsuit seeks to abolish a “captive labor source” for the state and award current and past prisoners with damages.

The lawsuit alleges that inmates are forced to work for little pay – and sometimes no pay – in jobs that benefit government entities or private companies. It also claims that inmates are subjected to inhumane conditions, including extreme temperatures, inadequate medical care, and physical and verbal abuse.

The lawsuit comes at a time when the Alabama Department of Corrections is already facing scrutiny for its treatment of inmates. In 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice found that the state’s prisons were overcrowded and understaffed, and that inmates were subjected to “unconstitutional conditions of confinement.”

The lawsuit is a stark reminder of the need for reform in the Alabama prison system. It remains to be seen whether the lawsuit will be successful in abolishing the state’s “captive labor source” and awarding damages to current and past prisoners.