US prisoners paid pennies for their work

Concerns grow over use of forced labor likened to slavery amid longtime abuses

In many prisons in the United States, inmates do much of the maintenance work, from working in a kitchen to cleaning areas, running a library, and even giving haircuts.

Some prisoners work for industries and institutions beyond the prison walls. In California, where wildfires have been raging in recent years, prisoners have worked as firefighters since the 1960s and account for about one-third of the state's firefighter population.

The private sector also benefits from prison workers. A report found that they generate billions of dollars worth of goods and services annually, but are paid pennies per hour without proper training or opportunity to build career skills after release.