Current:Home > BackCalifornia voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor-LoTradeCoin
California voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor
View Date:2025-01-13 03:32:33
Follow AP’s coverage of the election and what happens next.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California voters have rejected a measure on the November ballot that would have amended the state constitution to ban forced prison labor.
The constitution already prohibits so-called involuntary servitude, but an exception allows it to be used as a punishment for crime.
That exemption became a target of criminal justice advocates concerned that prisoners are often paid less than $1 an hour for labor such as fighting fires, cleaning cells and doing landscaping work at cemeteries.
The failed Proposition 6 was included in a package of reparations proposals introduced by lawmakers this year as part of an effort to atone and offer redress for a history of discrimination against Black Californians.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law in the package in September to issue a formal apology for the state’s legacy of racism against African Americans. But state lawmakers blocked a bill that would have created an agency to administer reparations programs, and Newsom vetoed a measure that would have helped Black families reclaim property taken unjustly by the government through eminent domain.
Abolish Slavery National Network co-founder Jamilia Land, who advocated for the initiative targeting forced prison labor, said the measure and similar ones in other states are about “dismantling the remnants of slavery” from the books.
“While the voters of California did not pass Proposition 6 this time, we have made significant progress,” she said in a statement. “We are proud of the movement we have built, and we will not rest until we see this issue resolved once and for all.”
George Eyles, a retired teacher in Brea who voted against Prop 6, said he found it confusing that the initiative aimed to ban slavery, which was outlawed in the U.S. in the 19th century. After finding out more about the measure, Eyles decided it likely would not be economically feasible since prison labor helps cut costs for upkeep, he said.
“I really couldn’t get any in-depth information about ... the thinking behind putting that whole Prop 6 forward, so that made me leery of it,” Eyles said. “If I really can’t understand something, then I’m usually going to shake my head, ‘No.’”
Multiple states — including Colorado, Tennessee, Alabama and Vermont — have voted to rid their constitutions of forced labor exemptions in recent years, and this week they were joined by Nevada, which passed its own measure.
In Colorado — the first state to get rid of an exception for slavery from its constitution in 2018 — incarcerated people alleged in a 2022 lawsuit filed against the corrections department that they were still being forced to work.
Proposition 6’s ballot language did not explicitly include the word “slavery” like measures elsewhere, because the California Constitution was amended in the 1970s to remove an exemption for slavery. But the exception for involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime remained on the books.
The 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution also bans slavery and involuntary servitude except as a punishment for crime.
Proposition 6 saw the second-least campaign spending among the 10 statewide initiatives on the ballot this year, about $1.9 million, according to the California Secretary of State’s office. It had no formal opposition.
___
Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on Twitter: @ sophieadanna
veryGood! (71)
Related
- 'Serial swatter': 18-year-old pleads guilty to making nearly 400 bomb threats, mass shooting calls
- Horoscopes Today, July 23, 2024
- New York’s Marshes Plagued by Sewage Runoff and Lack of Sediment
- Who plays Lady Deadpool? Fan theories include Blake Lively and (of course) Taylor Swift
- Democrat Janelle Bynum flips Oregon’s 5th District, will be state’s first Black member of Congress
- Indiana’s three gubernatorial candidates agree to a televised debate in October
- Multimillion-dollar crystal meth lab found hidden in remote South Africa farm; Mexican suspects arrested
- Psst! Madewell’s Sale Has Cute Summer Staples up to 70% Off, Plus an Extra 40% off With This Secret Code
- Diamond Sports Group can emerge out of bankruptcy after having reorganization plan approved
- Horoscopes Today, July 23, 2024
Ranking
- Minnesota man is free after 16 years in prison for murder that prosecutors say he didn’t commit
- Officers left post to go look for Trump rally gunman before shooting, state police boss says
- New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez set to resign on Aug. 20 after being convicted on federal bribery charges
- Former US Army civilian employee sentenced to 15 years for stealing nearly $109 million
- Bowl projections: SEC teams joins College Football Playoff field
- Netanyahu looks to boost US support in speech to Congress, but faces protests and lawmaker boycotts
- SpongeBob SquarePants Is Autistic, Actor Tom Kenny Reveals
- New Zealand reports Canada after drone flown over Olympic soccer practice
Recommendation
-
The results are in: Peanut the Squirrel did not have rabies, county official says
-
Massachusetts issues tighter restrictions on access to homeless shelter system
-
Demonstrators stage mass protest against Netanyahu visit and US military aid to Israel
-
The Founder For Starry Sky Wealth Management Ltd
-
Michigan soldier’s daughter finally took a long look at his 250 WWII letters
-
How a perfect storm sent church insurance rates skyrocketing
-
Nevada election officials ramp up voter roll maintenance ahead of November election
-
Man pleads guilty to bribing a Minnesota juror with a bag of cash in COVID-19-related fraud case