Takeaways from the AP's investigation into how US prisoners are hurt or killed on the job

abcnews.go.com:

An Associated Press investigation into prison labor in the United States found that prisoners who are hurt or killed on the job are often being denied the rights and protections offered to other American workers

A sweeping Associated Press investigation into prison labor in the United States found that prisoners who are hurt or killed on the job are often being denied the rights and protections offered to other American workers.

These prisoners are being placed in dangerous jobs, sometimes with little or no training. They pick up trash along busy highways, fight wildfires, and operate heavy machinery. They work on industrial-sized farms and meat-processing plants tied to the supply chains of some of the world’s most iconic brands and companies. But incarcerated workers and their families often have little or no recourse when things go wrong.

The report on the dangers of prison labor is part of a wider AP investigation into what has become a multibillion-dollar industry that often operates with little oversight.

Here are takeaways from the latest installment of AP’s investigation:

Laws in some states spell it out clearly: Prisoners aren’t classified as employees, whether they’re working inside correctional facilities or for private businesses through prison contracts or work-release programs.

That can exclude them from workers’ compensation benefits, along with state and federal workplace safety standards. They cannot protest against poor conditions, form unions or strike, and it’s harder for them to sue. Some also can be punished for refusing to work, including being sent to solitary confinement. And many work for pennies an hour – or nothing at all.

AP reporters spoke with more than 100 current and former prisoners