California’s voters will decide in November whether to remove involuntary servitude from the state’s Constitution, which would eliminate mandatory work requirements in prisons. The revised amendment does not include increasing wages for incarcerated residents, according to the LA Times. AB 628, which would go into effect if Prop 6 passes, leaves wages and voluntary work programs up to CDCR and local governments.
The California State Senate passed ACA 8 (Wilson) now known as Proposition 6. The amendment would make prisons jobs voluntary and protect incarcerated residents from being disciplined for refusing a work assignment.
“If somehow this bill leads to me getting humane pay for my labor, I would send money home to my family, pay off my restitution, and give some to a non-profit,” said SQ resident Reginald Thorpe.
Proposition 6 is one of 14 bills brought forth by the California Legislative Black Caucus in their 2024 Reparations Priority Bill Package. The bills were deemed the “first step” in implementing the recommendations from the Reparations Task Force Report, which seeks to combat the injustices suffered by the descendants of African American slaves in the United States. Currently, Article 1, Section 6 of the California Constitution states that “slavery is prohibited. Involuntary servitude is prohibited except to punish crime.” If voters pass this law, Prop 6 will remove the punishment exception.
“I can’t pretend to know what it was like to be a slave, but sometimes at work I’ve felt like one,” said SQ resident R.L. Carter.
Carter added that the bill would have a positive effect on her mindset, and with the rise in canteen and package prices, it would help her to maintain self-care.
In 2022, legislation was crafted to address involuntary servitude. But the state Department of Finance projected that if CDCR were required to pay residents minimum wage, it would cost $1.5 billion annually and the legislation stalled, reported the LA Times.
CDCR currently requires every “able-bodied” resident to participate in 8 hours a day of programming 5 days of week, whether that be labor, education, counseling, physical fitness or other programs.
“If this bill passes, it may not impact my day to day life immediately, but I feel that in the long run ,… California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will have to incentivize work,” said SQ resident S. Brooks.
Proposition 6 passed the Senate and Assembly with bipartisan support and has no official opponents, said the article.
“[This bill]…would give me the motivation to think and conduct myself like a responsible thinking man who’s preparing to be productive when I leave prison,” said SQ resident M. Scott.
Last year, chairperson of the Legislative Black Caucus and Assembly member Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) resurrected the amendment. Wilson stated the revised amendment has nothing to do with increased wages for incarcerated residents, although she anticipates the subject of minimum wage for residents to surface next session.
“I want to be able to take pride in my work and not feel like a beast of burden,” said SQ resident Edward “Eddie” Carter. “Deciding to go to work without being forced is the first step in my journey to rehabilitation.”
