Should prisoners get paid minimum wage for jobs done in prison?

[SvennoJ]

SamuelRSmith said:

SvennoJ said:

Yes privatization and especially for profit prisons is one step too far.
Treating offenders as a commodity is morally wrong and comes awfully close to the definition of slavery:

Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work

So, wait, when individuals operate prisons, it's morally wrong, and close to slavery? But when the state does it, it's A-OK?

It's not who operates the prison but how. In the private prison sector prisoners are treated as a commodity. The difference is, it costs the state money to run prisons, for profit private prisons make money from occupancy. Private prisons are lobying for new and longer sentences to make more money.
If the state puts people behind bars just to have a cheap labor force then it's equally bad.

I'm not saying work is bad for prisoners. But let them do work maintaining the prison, growing food, cooking, cleaning and other things to reduce prison operating costs. Not hire them out to call centers to make a profit.