Inside the big business of prison farms and ‘agricarceral’ slave labor

May 19, 2025 · 29m 36s

Description

Private companies and state governments have long exploited the 13th Amendment to create a profitable agribusiness system that runs on prison slave labor. “If you look at the history of...

Private companies and state governments have long exploited the 13th Amendment to create a profitable agribusiness system that runs on prison slave labor. “If you look at the history of agriculture in the United States, it’s built on dispossession, it’s built on enslavement,” says Joshua Sbicca, director of the Prison Agriculture Lab, and the legacy of that violence lives on in the big business of “agricarceral” farming today. In this episode of Rattling the Bars, host and former political prisoner Mansa Musa speaks with Sbicca about the prisoners farming our food, the parties profiting from their exploitation, and the ongoing fight to uphold the basic rights and dignity of incarcerated workers.

Producer / Videographer / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino

Help us continue producing Rattling the Bars by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.

Sign up for our newsletter

Follow us on Bluesky
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Donate to support this podcast

Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.

Follow us on:
Bluesky: @therealnews.com
Facebook: The Real News Network
Twitter: @TheRealNews
YouTube: @therealnews
Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork

Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

show less

Comments

Information

Author	The Real News Network (TRNN)
Organization	The Real News Network (TRNN)
Website	therealnews.com
Tags	#agriculture #business #capitalism #economy #farming #food #history #incarceration #jail #labor #politics #prison #slavery