The Exploitation of Incarcerated Labor: An Examination of Federal Laws, Policies, and Programs

In efforts to understand how horticultural therapy programs are different from convict leasing or forced labor camps, the history of exploitative prison labor will be discussed. This chapter reviews the history of controversy surrounding correctional horticulture programs. Some of the controversies discussed in this chapter include prison farms, convict-leasing programs, and forced labor. While horticultural therapy gardens in prisons are becoming increasingly popular, we examine how these are different from forced labor farms such as Louisiana State Prison and Mississippi State Prison or industrial prison farms producing prison food with the intent to minimize costs.