Prisoners' employment contracts with Unicor pay less than the minimum wage in Georgia

The contract was concluded with Federal Prison Industries Inc. of Jesup, Georgia, which operates under the UNICOR brand and is affiliated with the US Federal Bureau of Prisons system.

According to office data, UNICOR prisoners receive between 23 cents and $1.15 per hour for this work, which is significantly less than the minimum wage.

The state minimum wage in Georgia is officially $5.15 per hour, but in practice almost all local residents have the right to the federal minimum of $7.25.

It is noteworthy that exceeding this low wage is possible thanks to the special status of convict work in American legislation. The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits slavery and forced labor, but makes an exception in cases where forced labor is a punishment for a crime.