In Alabama, 54% of people in prison are Black. The Black incarcerated population is 25% less likely to receive parole. The state makes a $450 million annual profit from incarcerated labor. These statistics aren’t coincidences. They’re symptoms of a larger history of anti-Black enslavement and exploitation.
According to More Perfect Union, Alabama’s prison work release program leases out incarcerated people to corporations, from fast-food restaurants like McDonalds to Progressive Finishes’ contracting for Honda and General Motors. Their hours are often long, with little rest and minimal pay. Weekend passes for 72 hours are their unmonitored opportunities to visit loved ones. So, how can the state trust incarcerated workers with 40 hours of work outside prison and 72 hours home, but not parole them?
Let’s pose a related question: Why did white enslavers entrust those they enslaved to handle their food and raise their children?
Agents of white supremacy have always expressed anxieties about Black vengeance. But profit has always been their priority. That’s why resistance to exploitation comes with violent consequences, meant to keep us in line. That’s why Alabama’s parole board grants parole in 8% of cases, despite potential for an 80% grant rate if they followed their own guidelines.
“Leasing” out Black incarcerated people like property doesn’t just look like slavery. It is slavery. For centuries, the state has relied on our labor. But that reliance crumbles as more of us resist.