Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas pay their prisoners nothing for prison labor. When prisoners do get paid, the average wage ranges from 13 to 52 cents per hour. The 13th Amendment's exception clause—"except as punishment for crime"—makes this legal.
Eight states have removed the exception clause from their state constitutions since Colorado became the first in 2018. California voters rejected Proposition 6 in 2024, which would have ended involuntary prison labor. Nevada became the fifth state to remove the punishment clause in 2024. Incarcerated people produce nearly $11 billion worth of goods and services annually while earning pennies per hour—or nothing at all.