Mock Library of Congress

Penal labor is a generic term for various kinds of unfree labor which prisoners are required to perform, typically manual labor. The work may be light or hard, depending on the context. Forms of sentence involving penal labor have included involuntary servitude, penal servitude, and imprisonment with hard labor.

This act will ban the use of prisoners for uses of Penal Labor. Penal labor has been used in a way that is similar to slavery in the fact that it is involuntary from prisoners and often forced with punishment if prisoners do not comply. Any manual labor provided or done by prisoners will be done with pay by the prison (With a minimum pay of 5 dollars an hour.) and with the prisoner agreeing to this labor voluntarily.