Autism behind bars
Prisons are often ill-equipped to handle autistic inmates, who are at risk for mental health problems and abuse
A recent article from a political outlet chided the Washington Post for it’s coverage of recent remarks by US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. They note, “Kerry said that the CCP is doing an “incredible job” with its green energy initiatives, including solar panel manufacturing, during his visit to Beijing, according to The Washington Post. Beyond allegations of Uyghur slave labor use in solar panel manufacturing, the CCP uses child labor in mines essential to the green energy supply chain …”
The article alleges that the Chinese state uses slave labor in it’s manufacturing sector, ignoring the fact that the US does this as well. In fact, the Exception Clause within the 13th Amendment was created specifically so that former enslaved individuals could be used in such a manor as is alleged. In other words, the 13th Amendment specifically says that prisoners can be used here as slave labor … giving rise to the “Jim Crow” laws.
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” - 13th Amendment
The Jim Crow laws were a set of racially discriminatory laws implemented in the United States from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. These laws enforced racial segregation and denied equal rights and opportunities to African Americans. They were prevalent primarily in the Southern states but had an impact on the entire country.
The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime. However, the Jim Crow laws were enacted in the aftermath of the Civil War and Reconstruction era, effectively circumventing the intent of the 13th Amendment. These laws imposed racial segregation in public facilities, such as schools, transportation, parks, and even restrooms and water fountains.
The Jim Crow laws were designed to maintain white supremacy and perpetuate racial inequality. They aimed to segregate African Americans from white society and restrict their rights, social interactions, and economic opportunities. These laws were enforced through various means, including segregation laws, voting restrictions, and racial violence.
Whilst the 13th Amendment officially abolished slavery, the Jim Crow laws violated the spirit of equality and freedom it sought to establish. African Americans faced systematic oppression, discrimination, and limited access to education, employment, and political power under these laws. It took several decades of civil rights activism, including landmark Supreme Court decisions like Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, to dismantle the Jim Crow system and advance the cause of racial equality in the United States. Yet, the Exception Clause remains and prison labor remains a cash cow for corporations and the government.
As it turns out, some very prominent companies use prison labor in the US. More than 4,100 companies in the U.S. profit from mass incarceration. Many of these are prisons themselves, but some are companies who rely on penal labor to manufacture goods or provide services. Around 63,000 prisoners produce goods for external sale.
Verizon uses inmates to provide telecommunication services.
Fidelity Investments uses some held assets to fund the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an organization that promotes inmate work.
Kmart and JCPenney use inmate labor in Tennessee to make denim products.
Walmart uses prison labor to clean barcodes so products can be resold.
Some cheese and fish from Whole Foods comes from prison labor.
Circuit boards from IBM come from Texas prisoners.
Wendy's and McDonald's use prison labor to process beef for their food products.
Assuming that the autistic population of any group will be around 2%, I wondered how autistic people would fare in such a situation. It turns out that the autistic prison population, as a percentage of the whole, is more than double what is found outside. That’s just counting the diagnosed. We all know how many undiagnosed autistic adults there are, don’t we?
You would think that if a particular group was over-represented in the prison population, someone would notice. It’s obvious that there’s a racial imbalance in the prison population. But few are looking at the fact that there are a large amount of neurodiverse people behind bars. They’re there, and they’re largely unsupported in their mental health and safety needs.
Thus, I think its sad and a bit ironic that conservative pundits like to point to China and say that they use prisoners for manufacturing labor ignoring that our Constitution enshrines the fascist relationship between for-profit businesses and the state. Once ensnared into that system, few make a clean break.