Takeaways from the AP’s investigation into how US prisoners are hurt or killed on the job

A sweeping Associated Press investigation into prison labor in the United States found that prisoners who are hurt or killed on the job are often being denied the rights and protections offered to other American workers. Here are takeaways from the latest installment of AP’s investigation: PRISONERS ARE AMONG THE MOST VULNERABLE U.S. WORKERS Laws in some states spell it out clearly: Prisoners aren’t classified as employees, whether they’re working inside correctional facilities or for private businesses through prison contracts or work-release programs. It’s almost impossible to know how many incarcerated workers are hurt or killed each year, the AP found, partly due to privacy laws but also because prisoners often don’t report injuries, fearing retaliation or losing privileges like contact with their families. More than 800,000 prisoners have some kind of job, from serving food inside facilities to working outside for private companies, including work-release assignments everywhere from Burger King to Tyson Foods poultry plants. And it’s all legal: A loophole in the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution passed after the Civil War makes forced labor legal, abolishing slavery except “as punishment for a crime.” Few critics believe all prison jobs should be eliminated, but say work should be voluntary and that prisoners should be fairly paid and treated humanely.