In the United States, the 13th Amendment (1865) formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime for which a person has been duly convicted. Because of this exception clause, forced labor can legally be imposed on incarcerated people within the prison system. Historically, after the amendment was ratified, some states used laws—such as “Black Codes” and vagrancy statutes—to arrest large numbers of people (especially formerly enslaved Black Americans) and then compel them to work through systems like convict leasing and chain gangs. Today, prison labor programs still exist in federal and state facilities, where incarcerated individuals may be required to work.

yeaaa, no one expected at all that a usonian politician would say something like this, they are so wholesome most of the time!11!1!!