Alabama's prison labor program amounts to "modern day slavery," lawsuit claims

Montgomery, Ala. — Current and former inmates announced a lawsuit Tuesday challenging Alabama's prison labor program as a type of "modern day slavery," saying prisoners are forced to work for little pay - and sometimes no pay - in jobs that benefit government entities or private companies.

The class action suit also accuses the state of maintaining a discriminatory parole system with a low release rate that ensures a supply of laborers while also generating money for the state.

"The forced labor scheme that currently exists in the Alabama prison system is the modern reincarnation of the notorious convict leasing system that replaced slavery after the Civil War," Janet Herold, the legal director of Justice Catalyst Law, said Tuesday.