LOS ANGELES — This November, Californians will vote whether to ban forced labor in state jails and prisons or keep the practice in place. 

What You Need To Know

  • The California Constitution bans involuntary servitude except as a punishment for crime, Prop 6 looks to remove that exception

  • Nearly 60,000 incarcerated people have job assignments in California prisons

  • Prop 6 would ban state prisons from punishing inmates who do not want to work, while keeping the time credit system for those who do work

  • Prop 6 will be on the ballot this November 

As it stands, the California constitution bans involuntary servitude in all forms except as a punishment for crime. 

Ballot measure Prop 6, gives California voters the power to decide if that exception language is removed.

At the moment, people serving time in prisons are assigned work shifts that range from kitchen, cleaning, clerkship, etc. 

Of about 90 thousand incarcerated people across the system, 60 thousand have job assignments in California prisons, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or CDCR. 

If passed, Prop 6 would:

  • Allow inmates to decide if they want to take work assignments

  • Prohibit the CDCR from punishing inmates who refuse a work assignment

  • Allows the department to continue awarding time credits to those who voluntarily work

This past April, the CDCR, which oversees the prison system, removed unpaid assignments and increased wages to range from 0.16 cents and hour to 0.74 cents an hour. 

Inmate firefighters have a different pay scale of up to around $10 dollars a day. 

Proponents of the prop say the issues go beyond pay, as rehabilitation programs are offered during working hours and can interfere with educational goals. 

Jared Villery is formerly incarcerated as has been vocal about his support for Prop 6. He served 21 years in prison for various charges of robbery, burglary, weapon enhancement and false imprisonment during which he worked various kitchen and clerkship jobs.  

“I would have likely had my associate’s degrees three or four years sooner. I would have been able to participate in more self-help groups that were available frequently during my work hours,” said Villery. 

During his time serving, Villery picked up as many law books as he could and began practicing law from inside, representing other inmates and himself in cases. 

However, he says it was difficult to focus and stay on track with those efforts as job assignments were mandatory and he faced punishment for not showing up. 

“They don’t really have a choice to refuse, because when that write up comes, you lose all privileges, you lose your phone calls, you lose potentially visits depending on the substance of the violation, you lose all your activity,” said Villery. 

Not everyone is in favor, such as State Senator Brian Dahle, who represents prisons in the 1st District. 

“It’s not about them not having time to be able to do that. But the way this is written is it’s very vague. They are they going to be paid to do their laundry and take care of the day to day needs that everybody has to have,” said Dahle. 

He says victims are also a reason he opposes this prop, saying the elimination of work requirements undermines the payments to crime victims. 

“In California, nobody talks about the victims and talks about their suffering and the pain and their debt to society,” said Senator Dahle. 

Adding, he expects a continued debate over this issue.  

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“The biggest challenge here is it’s very loosely written. It’s going to be tied up in the courts,” said Senator Dahle. 

The prop is also one of the state’s reparation task force recommendations, arguing the exception allows for a modern form of enslavement. Something Senator Dahle does not agree with. 

“I think it’s two different issues. When you talk about somebody who has had a crime against another human being or against society. That’s why we have penalties for crime. And, you know, I’m sorry that the other side of the aisle doesn’t seem to think that we have a crime problem, but if there’s no punishment for crime then there’s no way to rehabilitate these folks in a way that they can be in society,” said Senator Dahle. 

Meanwhile Villery says this prop would help rehabilitate folks back into society. 

“The autonomy that people will be given to actually benefit themselves and build themselves up will revolutionize the system... If you have people getting out who come out with job skills that people didn’t have before, they’re not going to have to go back to the things that they knew, because now they’re going to know something new,” said Villery. 

Ultimately, voters will decide when they cast their ballot this November.