California voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor

Associated Press/Report for America

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California has rejected a ballot measure that would have amended the state constitution to ban forced prison labor. The state constitution already prohibits so-called involuntary servitude, but an exception allows it to be used as a punishment for crime. Other states have approved similar initiatives in recent years. That includes a measure passed in Nevada this month. The goal was to combat a practice under which prisoners are often paid less than $1 an hour for labor such as fighting fires, cleaning cells and doing landscaping at cemeteries. The California measure was part of a package of reparations proposals that was introduced by lawmakers this year.