Sen. Cory Booker questions US prison labor policies, calls for change

By MARGIE MASON and ROBIN McDOWELL
Associated Press

Sen. Cory Booker says prisoners should be learning professional skills that help prepare them for their release instead of being forced to work. Booker is chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on criminal justice and counterterrorism. He was speaking during a hearing Tuesday aimed at looking at ways to rethink prison labor, from making jobs voluntary and boosting wages to protecting workers against injuries and abuse. While most incarcerated workers today help maintain correctional facilities, others are leased out to private companies or take part in work-release programs. Companies such as McDonald’s, KFC, Walmart, Cargill and Tyson Foods have benefited from the multibillion-dollar industry, The Associated Press found as part of an ongoing two-year investigation.