What Is Prison Labor?
Prison labor is work done by people who have been imprisoned for a crime. This practice is common in many countries, but the type of labor performed and its intended effect on the inmates often varies. For many facilities, prison labor is used to provide inmates with stimulating activities, valuable job skills, and possible way of earning money. This labor can be used explicitly as a way to punish inmates or to help complete projects that are a benefit to the community or correctional facility. It was once common in many areas for prisoners to be put to somewhat meaningless work as a direct form of punishment. Going through the motions of labor was intended to be physically grueling and mentally deadening. Common tasks included grinding grain, pushing mills, and breaking rocks. While all of these tasks could be slightly useful, they were almost always assigned for specific punitive capabilities.
