Current:Home > MyAs temperatures soar, judge tells Louisiana to help protect prisoners working in fields -EverVision Finance
As temperatures soar, judge tells Louisiana to help protect prisoners working in fields
View
Date:2025-04-18 06:56:27
Amid blistering summer temperatures, a federal judge ordered Louisiana to take steps to protect the health and safety of incarcerated workers toiling in the fields of a former slave plantation, saying they face “substantial risk of injury or death.” The state immediately appealed the decision.
U.S. District Court Judge Brian Jackson issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday, giving the state department of corrections seven days to provide a plan to improve conditions on the so-called Farm Line at Louisiana State Penitentiary, otherwise known as Angola.
Jackson called on the state to correct deficiencies, including inadequate shade and breaks from work and a failure to provide workers with sunscreen and other basic protections, including medical checks for those especially vulnerable to high temperatures. However, the judge stopped short of shutting down the farm line altogether when heat indexes reach 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31.1 degrees Celsius) or higher, which was what the plaintiffs had requested.
The order comes amid growing nationwide attention on prison labor, a practice that is firmly rooted in slavery and has evolved over the decades into a multibillion-dollar industry. A two-year Associated Press investigation linked some of the world’s largest and best-known companies – from Cargill and Walmart to Burger King – to Angola and other prison farms, where incarcerated workers are paid pennies an hour or nothing at all.
Men incarcerated at Angola filed a class-action lawsuit last year alleging cruel and unusual punishment and forced labor in the prison’s fields. They said they use hoes and shovels or stoop to pick crops by hand in dangerously hot temperatures as armed guards look on. If they refuse to work or fail to meet quotas, they can be sent to solitary confinement or face other punishment, according to disciplinary guidelines.
As temperatures across the state continue to rise, “dealing with the heat in Louisiana has become a matter of life and death,” Jackson wrote in his 78-page ruling. “Conditions on the Farm Line ‘create a substantial risk of injury or death.’”
Lydia Wright of The Promise of Justice Initiative, an attorney for the plaintiffs, applauded the decision.
“The farm line has caused physical and psychological harm for generations,” she told the AP, adding it is the first time a court has found the practice to be cruel and unusual punishment. “It’s an incredible moment for incarcerated people and their families.”
Ken Pastorick, a spokesman for Louisiana’s Department of Public Safety and Corrections, said the department “strongly disagrees” with the court’s overall ruling and has filed a notice of appeal with the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“We are still reviewing the ruling in its entirety and reserve the right to comment in more detail at a later time,” he said.
—-
Contact AP’s global investigative team at [email protected] or https://www.ap.org/tips/
veryGood! (24)
Related
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Katy Perry Says She's 5 Weeks Sober Due to Pact With Orlando Bloom
- H&M Teams Up With Tess Holliday to Expand Size-Inclusive Clothing
- Tom Parker’s Wife Kelsey Pays Tribute to The Wanted Singer One Year After His Death
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Why Josh Peck Has a Surreal Bond With Hilary Duff
- Russian lobbies to be part of potential prisoner swap for Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan
- Adam Levine Reveals If His and Behati Prinsloo's Daughters Will Follow in His Rockstar Footsteps
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- The Bachelor Alums Lauren and Arie Luyendyk Jr. Share Affordable Ideas for Your Next Date Night
Ranking
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Bear blamed for Italy runner's death in Alps gets reprieve from being euthanized for now
- The Bachelor Alums Lauren and Arie Luyendyk Jr. Share Affordable Ideas for Your Next Date Night
- First Daughter Ashley Biden Reveals Her Mantra For Dealing with Criticism of Her Family
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Hilary Duff’s Son Luca Comrie Is All Grown Up in Rare Outing in London
- Blinken planning to travel to China soon for high-level talks
- Julia Roberts Debuts Bangin' New Look in Must-See Hair Transformation
Recommendation
'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
Switzerland was Tina Turner's longtime home. Why did the star leave the U.S.?
Serial Subject Adnan Syed's Murder Conviction Reinstated
Priyanka Chopra Recalls Being in a Tumultuous Relationship When Nick Jonas Slid Into Her DMs in 2016
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
Danielle Brooks Shares Teary Reaction to Orange Is the New Black's 10th Anniversary
Here's What Gwyneth Paltrow Said to Man Who Sued Her After Ski Crash Verdict Was Revealed
Killer whales are ramming into boats and damaging them. The reason remains a mystery.