As temperatures soar, judge tells Louisiana to help protect prisoners working in fields

Associated Press

A federal judge has ordered Louisiana to take steps to protect the health and safety of incarcerated workers toiling in the fields of a former slave plantation. He says they face “substantial risk of injury or death” in blistering summer temperatures. U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson on Tuesday gave the state seven days to provide a plan to improve conditions at Louisiana State Penitentiary. The state immediately appealed the decision. The order comes amid growing nationwide attention on prison labor, a practice that has evolved into a multibillion-dollar industry. Men incarcerated at the Louisiana penitentiary filed a class-action lawsuit last year alleging cruel and unusual punishment and forced labor in the prison’s fields.