Georgia inmates to replace migrant farm workers.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Non-violent offenders to be used to harvest crops in Georgia to replace Mexican migrants driven from the state by immigration laws. Note that the majority of these people will be black and they will be forced to pay for their own transportation and security while on the job working minimum wage with no benefits whatsoever or workers comp protection for injuries, and then the money will be applied to "Portions are applied to room and board, fines, fees, restitution and child support" as the state deems fit, essentially transforming them into slave labour.

State officials have set their sights on another potential pool of workers to help bridge Georgia’s severe farm labor gap: prisoners.

(From left) Eulogio Garcia Chonteco and his son Noe Garcia Marquez harvest Vidalia onions at Sikes Farms in Collins on May 2, 2011. They came to the farm from Mexico through the federal guest worker program. But Georgia farmers say there is a labor shortage and the state may turn to prison and jail inmates.

The idea is to put nonviolent inmates -- who are spending the end of their prison terms at one of the state’s 13 transitional centers -- to work picking fruits and vegetables across Georgia.

This is at least the state’s second attempt to tackle the labor shortages since enacting a tough new immigration law many farmers blame for their problems. State officials started experimenting last summer by encouraging criminal probationers to work on the farms, but results are mixed.

State officials hope the nonviolent offenders would be motivated to learn new skills, earn money and eventually land steady jobs that would help them once they get out of prison.

The prisoners would help fill open jobs in Georgia’s $68.8 billion agricultural industry, the state’s largest. And Farmers could become eligible for federal Work Opportunity tax credits by hiring the offenders once they finish their terms.

State Corrections Department officials confirmed the details of the latest plan Wednesday, calling it a joint effort between the agency, Gov. Nathan Deal and state agriculture and labor officials. They said the idea is still under development, and they have not set a start date.

The work would be voluntary for the prisoners. Pay would be set by farmers, though it would be at least minimum wage. Prisoners would pay for their transportation to and from the farms.

Offenders are referred to the state’s transitional centers by prison officials and the State Board of Pardons and Paroles based on their criminal records and behavior in prison. Wages they earn on work release are sent to the centers. Portions are applied to room and board, fines, fees, restitution and child support. The rest is held for them until they are released. More than 2,700 inmates are in the transitional centers now.

“Gov. Deal is interested in having an organized system to match a group that needs employment with employers who need labor,” Stephanie Mayfield, a spokeswoman for the governor, said. “It’s not a cure-all, but it allows two groups with fixable needs to help each other.”

A state survey of farmers released in June showed they had as many as 11,080 jobs open. On Tuesday, the agriculture industry released a separate report documenting $74.9 million in crop losses tied to farm labor shortages.

Some farmers blame Georgia’s new immigration law, House Bill 87, that targets illegal immigrants and those who harbor them. They say the measure is scaring away the Hispanic migrant workers that farmers depend on, putting their crops at risk.

Proponents of the law say it will prevent illegal immigrants from taking jobs away from U.S. citizens. But farmers contend many U.S. citizens won’t pick fruits and vegetables on their fields because the work is hot and physically demanding. So, many of these producers hire Hispanic migrant workers, and many of them are in the country illegally.

Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, said putting prisoners to work on the farms “may be a partial solution.”

“I don’t think we are opposed to it,” he said. “We just have got to see how well it will work.”

Deal, who signed HB 87 into law in May, reacted to the labor shortages by proposing putting probationers to work on the farms. Hall said some of the probationers who worked on two vegetable farms in Sumter and Colquitt counties during this summer’s pilot program quit because of the heat, long hours and physically taxing jobs they got.

Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black summarized more results from the pilot program Tuesday while testifying before a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Boarder Security. One farmer who participated in that program found the probationers to be half as productive as his other workers, Black said in written testimony. Another farmer found only 15 to 20 reliable workers out of 104 probationers.

“There were some obvious challenges with using probation labor,” Black said, “and the two producers found that the probationers were unable to harvest at the same rate as the other workers. At the end of the day, both producers agreed that the program had potential to meet the niche needs for farmers desperate for workers.”

Black told the subcommittee another way the government could help deal Georgia’s farm labor shortage is through a new and improved guest worker program. Many farmers complain the existing federal H-2A program is plagued with red tape.

Black suggested the federal government could create a guest worker program and allow states to administer it through agreements. He pointed out such relationships already exist between the states and federal government concerning environmental and food safety regulations.

Black’s office is studying whether Georgia can legally create its own guest worker program. His report, which is required by HB 87, is due to Deal and state lawmakers by Jan. 1.

“Why not let Georgians help Georgians,” he told the Senate panel Tuesday, “when it comes to administering guest workers so long as the state meets requirements established and monitored by federal authorities?”

[Broomstick]

Non-violent offenders to be used to harvest crops in Georgia to replace Mexican migrants driven from the state by immigration laws. Note that the majority of these people will be black and they will be forced to pay for their own transportation and security while on the job working minimum wage with no benefits whatsoever or workers comp protection for injuries, and then the money will be applied to "Portions are applied to room and board, fines, fees, restitution and child support" as the state deems fit, essentially transforming them into slave labour.

Arguably, any labor performed by prisoners in the US could be defined in such a way. It's also been determined by the courts that taking inmates' pay for "room and board, fines, fees, restitution, and child support" is perfectly legal.

Additionally, I will also point out that the courts have also decreed that the state is obliged to give any prisoner any and all medically required care - which is more than the illegals, the migrants, and most of the working poor get. Thus, worker's compensation coverage is not required as a prisoner's medical needs are already met by the state, regardless of the origin of that need. Unlike the working poor, they have guaranteed medical coverage.

On top of that, the state can not deprive a prisoner of the food required to maintain health and life, nor can a prisoner be kept without adequate shelter from the elements. Again, that is not guaranteed to the free working poor, who may be homeless and hungry. Even if a prisoner does not earn sufficient money to pay all the cost of room and board he can not be denied room and board, whereas a free person can be evicted or go hungry.

Finally, as stated, no inmate is forced to engage in this labor. Presumably there is benefit to the prisoner - relief of boredom, fresh air, being outside, earning some money even if they keep little of it, perhaps better treatment from officials and parole officers down the line...

So, tell me again, how is this terrible? It's not great, being in prison never is, but I don't see where these working inmates are being mistreated, or at least not treated any worse than those they are replacing.

[Simon_Jester]

One would think that a farm labor shortage problem should be welcomed as a solution to an unemployment problem... then again, perhaps the farmers aren't willing to pay wages that even desperate would-be workers would accept.

Georgia and the Deep South have a long history with prison labor and are infamous for the use of chain gangs; the idea seems to keep coming back up.

[Broomstick]

One would think that a farm labor shortage problem should be welcomed as a solution to an unemployment problem... then again, perhaps the farmers aren't willing to pay wages that even desperate would-be workers would accept.

^ This. I suspect this is an important part of the problem.

Minimum wage is more than some migrants/illegals have been paid in the past, but even with that, if the farmers don't have to pay benefits or workers' comp that still keeps prices down for the farmers.

Georgia and the Deep South have a long history with prison labor and are infamous for the use of chain gangs; the idea seems to keep coming back up.

Prison labor is not inherently bad, just prone to abuse. Obviously, mistreating prisoners is not OK.

[Simon_Jester]

In a period of crushing unemployment and underemployment, I think we really shouldn't be using prison labor to crowd out normal labor, even if it's cheaper.

[Broomstick]

The problem is our current system of production relies on illegal labor, frequently underpaid or even not paid labor. One possible factor in rising food prices (among many) in this country is that the crackdown on illegal immigration and workers is forcing production costs to rise because the only way you're going to get sufficient numbers of citizens to work those fields is to pay them at least minimum wage under legal conditions, which drives costs up. On top of that, the work is unpleasant enough that many will continue to seek less unpleasant employment in preference to field labor. Also, one has to have a certain level of fitness to do this work. With many unemployed in my age range significant numbers may simply be unable to physically do the work. I know I would find it difficult, and I am fitter than average for someone in my age group.

The downside to using prisoners is, of course, the required security. The prison will pay for that, of course, but there is the possibility of escapes, vandalism, petty theft, etc since after all you're not dealing with the most upright of people here. Most of them will behave (trouble-makers don't get put on external work details) but you only need a few bad apples to sour the operation.

[Darmalus]

Didn't several contaminated food incidents get traced back to workers taking a dump in the field? I can't imagine prison labor would be any less inclined to do that, maybe more inclined if they have revenge fantasies on the brain.

[SirNitram]

One of the biggest problems is numbers. Georgia has 2,700~ inmates ready to work through existing programs, which can of course be channeled to this. The farmers have 11,080 openings. I think we can all see the supply-demand problem there. I suppose you could expand worker visas, but those are as good as legalized slavery as is.

[Mr Bean]

In a period of crushing unemployment and underemployment, I think we really shouldn't be using prison labor to crowd out normal labor, even if it's cheaper.

Particularly using black labor in Georgia to pick cotton as one news source I know covered it since Georgia puts three black men in prison for every white prisoner. But then they get away with that in Louisianan already at Angola (LSP) where prisoners work the fields for no pay for years now. I could see why Georgia wants to get in on the same game to return to the good old days. Now all they have to do is figure out how to de-integrate the prisons and they can even make sure that it's exactly like the old days with some prisons being plantations and others still making licenses plates and furniture, I'll leave it to you to figure out who will go where.

[Broomstick]

Didn't several contaminated food incidents get traced back to workers taking a dump in the field? I can't imagine prison labor would be any less inclined to do that, maybe more inclined if they have revenge fantasies on the brain.

Part of the reason for workers taking a shit in the fields is a lack of suitable toilet facilities and/or inadequate breaks for biological needs. If an employer is operating legally there will be mandatory rest breaks, and many places are now requiring portajohns or the like to be available to workers.

Prisoners, being under medical care, are more easily monitored for potential contagions than itinerant workers. Subjecting such prison labor to a health check prior to handling food would be a good idea, I hope someone is doing it.

But yeah, someone could potentially shit or piss on your fruits and vegetables in the field. That's yet another reason you're supposed to wash stuff before eating it. Hell, there are wild animals shitting and pissing in my backyard garden and that's totally uncontrolled, I wash the backyard stuff before eating it, too.

[Ekiqa]

Not just Georgia, Alabama too.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... immigrants

Alabama brings back slavery for Latinos

Here's how: pass a draconian immigration law, lock up 'illegals' in private prisons, then get the new inmates to work in the fields
Axel Caballero

Several days have now passed since Alabama's anti-immigration law, the harshest and most abusive in the nation, came into full effect. HB 56, a de facto criminalisation of migration, replaces any sensible immigration policy with the favorite solution these days: let's put them behind bars– and we might as well make a profit out of it.

The negative consequences of such shameful legislation have been felt immediately. Within hours, it had claimed its first victims – from the detention of a man who later turned out to be residing legally, to the massive fleeing of migrant workers and school children, to even cutting off water services to families or individuals who can't prove their legal status. It is the most draconian and oppressive set of provisions that this country, which claims to be the bastion of liberties and rights, has seen since the era of segregation.

Because anyone lacking the proper immigration papers is considered to be committing a crime, also entering into a "business transaction" with the individual in question would prompt criminal charges. The pressure to enact and enforce anti-immigration law has left state and local police officers and government agents and officials in a bind. Already struggling to meet demands, with shortened budgets and staff, these agencies must now devise ways to comply with the new set of measures. And at present, these often lead to confusion as to when, how, where and to whom to apply the law.

A consequence of this chaos, though, is that we're seeing absurd and flat out racist applications of the law. A hotline set up by an immigrant protection group has received more than 2,000 phone calls from families in dire need. The pleas range from mothers trying to place their children in safe protection while they look to flee the state, to students being questioned at schools and accounts of abuse and harassment. It is not clear yet how many have been or will be arrested under this provision, but the number will surely make one sector happy: private detention facilities.

Yes, Alabama will have to go that route. In fact, it already has. Not only will this law supply fresh inmates to private detention centers in the state – like the one operated in Decatur by LCS correctional corporation – but it will also feed an already bloated national private prison system controlled by two major corporations, CCA (Corrections Corporation of America) and the GEO group, which have a combined profit of more than $5bn a year. CCA, for example, runs the largest facility in the nation in neighboring Georgia and may potentially take a good portion of the detainees in Alabama. Charging $200 a night, this is an opportunity they'll jump at.

The difference between Alabama and adjoining states is that it is willing to go further down this track. Recently, John McMillan, agriculture commissioner, proposed that the farm work left behind by immigrant workers be supplied with inmate labor. Decatur, a private detention center about 50 miles to the north-west of Alabama, which had been unable to find jobs for inmates, has now witnessed record numbers of requests for labor (for an estimated 150 detainees a day).

So, here is how it goes. First, the state passes a harsh immigration law. Then, it detains large numbers of immigrants. Third, private prisons (LCS, CCA, GEO) receive fresh inmates. And finally, the artificially created labor shortage is supplied by the new inmates. Does this sound like modern-day slavery to anyone?

The rest of the country can only look in shock and dismay, as once again, Alabama, a state renowned for its historical role in racism, segregation and slavery, leads the nation into another round of shame.

[Broomstick]

OK, that's a problem - if they're here illegally they should be deported, not held as a labor force.

[CrateriaA]

OK, that's a problem - if they're here illegally they should be deported, not held as a labor force.

Although that won't be likely to change anything, considering the conditions in Mexico are still very bad. They'll be back sooner or later. Or dead, y'know.

[Broomstick]

Are conditions in Mexico uniformly bad?

Also, since the economic slump in the US the rate of illegal immigration has decreased, last I heard.

[CrateriaA]

Are conditions in Mexico uniformly bad?

Also, since the economic slump in the US the rate of illegal immigration has decreased, last I heard.

It's bad enough to encourage many of those same deportees to return. Mexico is basically at war with itself, though it's between the corrupt government and the drug cartels who can easily be resupplied by just going to the US and getting some more ammo and guns. As long as the terror there refuses to wind down, the problem will never cease.

[JPaganel]

Are conditions in Mexico uniformly bad?

Not really. Otherwise Mexico wouldn't have a tourism industry.

Things are bad in the north of Mexico, far from the resorts and the capital.

Mexico is basically at war with itself, though it's between the corrupt government and the drug cartels

The way the news reports read, it's between the cartels. The government is either unable or unwilling (and I suspect there is a healthy dose of the latter, due to corruption) to do anything significant.

who can easily be resupplied by just going to the US and getting some more ammo and guns.

That's not how they supply themselves. Even a cursory look at the photos of what gets seized from the cartels will show that the armaments they have come from government arsenals. You cannot freely buy machine guns, grenades, or fully automatic rifles in US, despite what the media might tell you. Gangs are more likely to get their weapons through theft from the Mexican army and police and from elsewhere in South America, parts of which have been flooded with arms by both US and USSR during the Cold War.

[Broomstick]

Actually, they are getting some of their arms from the US, from corrupt police. In our area we recently had five cops arrested and charged with firearms trafficking. They were using their police force authority, letterhead, etc. to purchase things like fully automatic weapons and selling them to Mexicans. The Feds got suspicious when a relatively small town purchase 50 machine guns in one year.

I expect they have several sources of weapons, many of them involving corruption and lots of money to grease the wheels.

But that's different than implying they can simply wander across the border and buy these things at Wal-Mart.

[Sea Skimmer]

A good reason exists why the US is awash in guns, but not overrun by heavily armed terrorists, but Mexico is. The weapons supply blatantly has precious little to do with the problem.

[Xenophobe3691]

A good reason exists why the US is awash in guns, but not overrun by heavily armed terrorists, but Mexico is. The weapons supply blatantly has precious little to do with the problem.

Of course, but The War on Drugs needs to be won, ya know...

[Lagmonster]

The Mexican gun thing is getting this thread off topic. Back on target, people.