Every day, the State forces thousands of mostly Black incarcerated people to work. On the "Farm Line" at Louisiana State Penitentiary, or Angola, men are marched out to fields to pick crops by hand, dig ditches, and do menial work, often in extreme heat with few protections. This labor is often extracted in unsafe and humiliating conditions, under threat of further punishment. It is designed to ''break" the men psychologically.

The forced farm labor is just one example of the exploitative practices that are present in Louisiana’s “plantation prisons.” High costs of phone calls, clothes, food, personal necessities, and even medical care within jails and prisons are part of the myriad collateral financial effects of mass incarceration.

The web of exploitation of vulnerable families and incarcerated people creates barriers to maintaining connections with loved ones and the outside world. Meanwhile, the State of Louisiana and private companies profit off the backs of people who are incarcerated and their families.

In September 2023, PJI and Rights Behind Bars sued the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections (DOC) and Prison Enterprises challenging the constitutionality of forced agricultural labor at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. The lawsuit has spurred tremendous visibility to the issue. Due to the lawsuit, the State made some informal changes for people working in the fields in high heat. While the changes are insufficient, this case is spurring some positive shifts for our incarcerated clients. The trial date is pending.