More than 150 years after slaves were freed in the United States, voters in five states will soon decide whether to close loopholes that led to the proliferation of a different form of slavery — forced labour by people convicted of certain crimes.None of the proposals would force immediate changes inside the states’ prisons although they could lead to legal challenges related to how they use prison labour, a lasting imprint of slavery’s legacy on the entire country.The effort is part of a national push to amend the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, which bans enslavement or involuntary servitude except as a form of criminal punishment. That exception has long permitted the exploitation of work performed by convicted felons.
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