“I earned 16 cents an hour working in the basement of Auburn Correctional Facility using heavy machinery to make the license plates many of us have on our cars right now,” said Jodi Anderson Jr. “Sure, you can refuse, but we all know what comes with refusing.”

Anderson Jr. stood before the New York State Senate on Feb. 12 to recount his experience working for Corcraft, an entity operating within the New York State Department of Corrections. Corcraft exploits incarcerated individuals to manufacture furniture, signage, cleaning supplies, etc. Children in New York’s classrooms often sit in chairs made using this legalized enslaved labor.

“My experience with Corcraft during my incarceration revealed the stark realities of what is often touted as a rehabilitative labor program,” said Anderson Jr. “While providing a rudimentary form of occupation, the work offered little in terms of fair compensation or genuine skill development that would aid in my reintegration into society.”

‘There is nothing wrong with giving them something to do,’ ‘You shouldn’t have committed a crime,’ and ‘It’s only fair they repay their debt’ are common reactions to learning that prisoners earn an average of 65 cents per hour. This strange excitability towards punishment and rejection of rehabilitation reveals ethical incongruities and fuels recidivism and taxpayer spending.

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