A hidden path to dinner tables begins at an unlikely source, a former Southern slave plantation that is now the largest U.S. maximum-security prison. Unmarked trucks packed with prison-raised cattle roll out of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, where men are sentenced to hard labor and forced to work, for pennies an hour or sometimes nothing at all. The cows are bought by a local rancher who heads to a Texas slaughterhouse that feeds into the supply chains of giants like McDonald’s, Walmart, and Cargill. Intricate, invisible webs, just like this one, link some of the world’s largest food companies and most popular brands to jobs performed by U.S. prisoners nationwide, according to a sweeping two-year AP investigation into prison labor that tied hundreds of millions of dollars worth of agricultural products to goods sold on the open market. The goods these prisoners produce wind up in the supply chains of a dizzying array of products found in most kitchens.
Some goods are exported, including to countries that have had products blocked from entering the U.S. for using forced or prison labor. Many companies buying directly from prisons are violating their policies against the use of such labor. Corrections officials and other proponents note that not all work is forced and that prison jobs save taxpayers money. In some cases, the food produced is served in prison kitchens or donated to those in need outside. They also say workers are learning skills that can be used when they’re released and given a sense of purpose, which could help prevent repeat offenses. While most critics don’t believe all jobs should be eliminated, they say incarcerated people should be paid fairly, treated humanely and that all work should be voluntary. Some note that even when people get specialized training, like firefighting, their criminal records can make it almost impossible to get hired on the outside. “They are largely uncompensated, they are being forced to work, and it’s unsafe. They also aren’t learning skills that will help them when they are released,” said law professor Andrea Armstrong, an expert on prison labor at Loyola University New Orleans. “It raises the question of why we are still forcing people to work in the fields.”