END SLAVERY IN CALIFORNIA. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Pass The End Slavery in California Act (ACA 8)

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More than 150 years after the emancipation proclamation, the California Constitution has an exception to slavery that makes it lawful to force hundreds of thousands of Californians to maintain prison grounds, provide janitorial services benefiting correctional staff, cook for hundreds of others, and repair lock-up facilities. This is called involuntary servitude and it saves the state of California tens of millions of dollars each year.

Let’s be clear: Involuntary servitude is modern-day slavery. In California, over 65% of incarcerated people report being forced to work last year. Incarcerated workers cannot choose to place rehabilitation over exploitation. They must work at the time and place dictated by the jailers, even if the work is unsafe for the individual, or else face severe consequences and punishments: parole denial, delayed release, bans on visitation and phone calls with family, solitary confinement, even physical violence.

The End Slavery in California Act (ACA 8) will remove the exception clause, so that incarcerated workers can’t be exploited for their labor. Incarcerated workers are people and should be allowed to take the day off when they are ill, to prioritize completing their education, and to select the programming that prepares them, specifically, for community reintegration and family reunification.

Incarcerated workers are telling us that they are willing to work, but they are not willing to be exploited. Just as you would, however, incarcerated workers want to choose jobs that most fit their skills, that do not compete with family visits, educational programs, or rehabilitative opportunities.

In the land of the free, we must fully and finally declare that every form of slavery is immoral and illegal. Tell your California lawmakers to vote YES on ACA 8.

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I write to you today as a concerned constituent to respectfully request that you support The End Slavery in California Act (ACA 8) by Assembly Member Lori Wilson, a constitutional amendment that will finally end slavery in California.

Message Body

It is important, more than 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, that we remove the exception clause and end all forms of slavery in California. Hard stop.

When incarcerated people are forced to work against their will, they are being treated no different than those the U.S. immorally enslaved for hundreds of years. Remember that enslaved people were forced to miss out on education, family bonding, and had to place the master’s economic interest over their own or else be punished.

Today, if an incarcerated person is sick, they can be denied time to rest. If they are scheduled to work, they can be denied family visits. If they refuse to go to work because they want to participate in a self-help program, they will suffer serious consequences: delayed release, confinement to their cell, parole denials, even harassment and physical violence.

All of this is lawful because California permits “involuntary servitude” as an exception to the ban on human slavery. But involuntary servitude is slavery—it is dehumanizing and dangerous. ACA 8 provides an avenue for choice over when and how incarcerated people work – including whether to go to work when they’re sick, or the kind of educational or vocational programs that will best prepare them for successful reentry.

By removing the remaining vestige of slavery in the state, ACA 8 would finally align California with its stated values. Please support ACA 8 to end slavery in California.

Sincerely,

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[Your Address]

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END SLAVERY IN CALIFORNIA. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Pass The End Slavery in California Act (ACA 8)

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