Responsible for the largest prison population in the United States (over 140,000 inmates) the
Texas Department of Criminal Justice is known to make extensive use of unpaid prison labor.
[39] Prisoners are engaged in various forms of labor with tasks ranging from agriculture and animal husbandry, to manufacturing soap and clothing items.
[39] The inmates receive no salary or monetary remuneration for their labor, but receive other rewards, such as time credits, which could work towards cutting down a prison sentence and allow for early release under mandatory supervision. Prisoners are allotted to work up to 12 hours per day.
[39] The penal labor system, managed by
Texas Correctional Industries, was valued at US$88.9 million in 2014.
[39] The Texas Department of Criminal Justice states that the prisoner's free labor pays for room and board while the work they perform in prison equips inmates with the skills and experience necessary to gain and maintain employment after they are released.
[39] Texas is one of the four states in the United States that does not pay inmates for their labor in monetary funds, with the other states being Georgia, Arkansas, and Alabama.
[39]