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

abcnews.go.com:

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

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 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 make changes to policies dealing with heat. He pointed to problems including inadequate shade, a lack of work breaks and a failure to provide prisoners 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 decades into a multibillion-dollar industry. A two-year Associated Press investigation linked the supply chains of some of the world’s largest and best-known companies – from Walmart to Burger King – to Angola and other prison farms, where incarcerated workers are paid pennies an hour or nothing at all. Several companies, including Cargill, have since said they have cut ties or are in the