To the Texas Board of Criminal Justice:

Forced labor in prisons and detention centers must be denounced within the state of Texas, as it echoes Texas’s extremely problematic legacy as a proponent of racial slavery, exploits mentally and physically vulnerable individuals for profit, and is expanding into unconstitutional forms of slavery.

Prison labor in Texas is unpaid, coerced, dangerous, and rooted in a system plagued by racial bias. Incarcerated individuals are forced to work under threat of punishment, while the state profits. Even those awaiting trial—who have not been convicted of any crime—are compelled to perform labor in detention centers. These programs disregard both the 14th Amendment rights granted to all individuals within the United States, and the freedom integral to our identity as a nation and state. 

This is not a restoration of justice. This is exploitation of vulnerable populations for profit. 

Slavery of all kinds must be vehemently denounced in a free nation. You as the Texas Board of Criminal Justice have the power to discontinue slavery within the state—setting our great state forward and securing your legacy as board members. Ending slavery is both an ethical imperative, and a chance to reframe the way individuals view the Texas criminal justice system internationally. Please reconsider your silence, and address this egregious oversight.

We, the undersigned, demand immediate action to end forced labor in Texas.