Organizations Working on the Abolish/Slavery End the Exception Campaign, National and State
The New Jersey abolish prison slavery campaign and those in other states are part of a national campaign to amend the U.S. Constitution to eliminate the 13th amendment exception clause and to amend state constitutions to unequivocally abolish slavery.
The national campaign website (https://endtheexception.com) has background on the origins of the exception in the 13th amendment.
The Abolish Slavery National Network website has extensive background information, including an interactive map that shows the status of the end the exception campaign in each state. https://abolishslavery.us/
Worth Rises https://worthrises.org is an advocacy non-profit that aims to end the exploitaton of prisoners. It supports the End the Exception campaign and also focuses on, among other issues, phone justice for prisoners.
The NAACP also has a website with excellent background material: NAACP Legal Defense Fund – Why Slavery is Still Legal in America – And How Voters can Take Action. https://www.naacpldf.org/13th-amendment-emancipation/
UU Faith Action NJ is among several other faith-based groups supporting our effort in New Jsey.. The UUFA website which includes background resources is here https://www.uufaithaction.org/ending-slavery-in-new-jersey-resources/
Background on Captive Labor in the US
ACLU Report https://www.aclu.org/report/captive-labor-exploitation-incarcerated-workers
Verite Report (evaluating US prison labor under international standards) https://verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Work-Behind-Bars-Briefing-Document-June-2022-1.pdf
Useful Media Resources
Video Resources
https://endtheexception.com/exceptforme
There are many videos at this link that are testimonies from prisoners about their experiences with forced labor. They are all worth watching.
Talk Radio/Podcast
Abolition Today Blog Talk Radio. https://www.blogtalkradio.com/abolitiontoday. This is an edgy weekly online radio program with a focus on modern slavery as enabled by the 13th amendment exception. Airs live on Sundays 7 pm EST abolitiontoday.org. Also available as the podcast “abolition today.” Season 4 Episode 13 features a conversation with Antonne Henshaw and Dennis Febo about the campaign to amend the New Jersey Constitution to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude. https://www.blogtalkradio.com/abolitiontoday/2023/04/16/s4-e13-nj–where-children-are-worth-600k-if-incarcerated.
Online Journalism
The Marshall Project (https://www.themarshallproject.org) The go-to online source for criminal justice journalism. The daily newsletter provides a round-up of stories related to the criminal legal system. TMP also runs a weekly series with stories written by people who are imprisoned or who work in the carceral system.
Prison Legal News (nttps://www.prisonlegalnews.org) Edited by Paul Wright ([email protected]), Prison Legal News is an independent monthly magazine that provides cutting edge review and analysis of prisoners’ rights, court rulings, and news about criminal justice issues.