Louisiana inmates were allowed to get some fresh air, but didn’t exactly enjoy the beach as they were hired to clean up the oil from the April British Petroleum spill.
Workers have been spotted over the past month in red pants and white shirts with “Inmate Labor” written on the backs. Coastal residents are upset, because inmate labor is cheaper than hiring those most affected by the spill in need of work. The use of cheap inmate labor by BP has been a huge issue since it’s obviously less of a liability than hiring coastal residents and works as a tax write-off.
Abe Louise Young, from The Nation magazine, questioned BP officials to no avail and prison officials declined to comment. Young, whose investigative report also covered Gulf residents who have gone into depression from the damage to their homes, reported that the Louisiana Work Release Program is inhumane, having the men work 12 hours a day and six days a week, earning zero to 40 cents an hour.
