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Prison Labor: The Hidden Workforce Behind Major Consumer Brands

Mother Jones
by Lisa Thompson
February 24, 2026
422 views
AI-Generated Summary

Major consumer brands profit from prison labor where inmates earn pennies per hour. This six-month supply chain investigation exposes the hidden workforce behind everyday products and raises questions about modern exploitation.

A six-month investigation traces the supply chains of popular consumer products back to prison labor programs where inmates earn pennies per hour under questionable conditions.

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