All labour exists on a spectrum, ranging from enslavement at one pole, to fully, freely given on the other.

And, in Canada, at the most extreme end of that spectrum are prison labourers. Incarcerated people have few rights and fewer options when it comes to their working lives.

If we want to truly understand our criminal justice system and Canadian labour, we need to examine how prisoners work.

Featured in this episode: Jordan House, Asaf Rashid

To learn more:

Solidarity Beyond Bars: Unionizing Prison Labour by Jordan House & Asaf Rashid

“Prison breaking-point: Canada’s jail system is in crisis, and that affects all of us” by Justin Ling in The Globe and Mail

“The case for a prisoners’ union” in Briarpatch  by Jordan House & Asaf Rashid

Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Additional music from Audio Network

Sponsors: Douglas

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