LOUISIANA STATE PENITENTIARY: THE INERTIA OF FORCED LABOR AND EXPLOITATION ON IMPRISONED PEOPLES DURING COVID-19

Abstract

Louisiana’s history with forced labor is deep rooted and heavily ingrained within the state. For centuries, Louisiana State Penitentiary has maintained a system of brutal involuntary servitude on a majority of incarcerated people serving life sentences without parole. Specifically focusing on the state of Louisiana when enduring economic crises, the penitentiary has served as a support system for the state by way of forced labor. This thesis uses a historical analysis on how the Louisiana State Penitentiary used incarcerated workers after the Civil War in comparison with Louisiana’s most recent economic struggle during the Covid-19 pandemic to outline an unethical trend of dependence on the penitentiary. The Louisiana State Penitentiary's position in the state threatens to continue a pervasive and abusive structure of contemporary slavery that is essential to how the state functions, making discourse on this topic crucial for preventing this harmful practice from continuing.