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Assemblywoman Sydney Kamlager (D-Baldwin Hills) is on a crusade: to ensure prisoners can refuse work. She hopes to do this by changing the language in the California Constitution.
“As it currently reads, the Constitution of California prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude ‘except to punish crime,’” she said. “The California Abolition Act would remove such conditional language, abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude without exception.”
In January, Kamlager introduced ACA 3 to the Assembly. The bill is co-sponsored by Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), who is also the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment.
From a press release:
“California’s incarcerated people have no practical ability to refuse to work. For example, Samual Nathaniel Brown, the original author of ACA 3 and a person incarcerated at California State Prison, Los Angeles County, has had to sanitize the cells of incarcerated people infected with COVID-19 with insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE). Refusing his assignment would expose him to being ‘written up’ by prison guards, which could jeopardize his chances of receiving early release.