Of the 1.2 million people incarcerated in the U.S., 2 out of 3 of these individuals are workers, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. But many incarcerated individuals are not paid, and when they are, they do not owe payroll taxes and thus they are denied benefits from that employment.
University of Cincinnati Professor of Law Stephanie McMahon argues incarcerated workers should be taxed and by doing so, they will earn access to the social safety net. In her article, Prison Work is Taxing and Should be Taxed, she looks at the current exclusions from the earned income tax credit, Social Security and other benefits. She also looks at why these exclusions are so problematic and proposes changes to eliminate them.
On Cincinnati Edition, we examine our system of prison labor, ask whether it exploits individuals, and whether taxing incarcerated workers could help individuals and their families.
Guests:
- Stephanie McMahon, professor of law, University of Cincinnati College of Law
- Jennifer Turner, principal human rights researcher, American Civil Liberties Union Human Rights Program
- LaToya Bell, Esq., deputy director, Ohio Justice & Policy Center
Listen to Cincinnati Edition live at noon M-F. Audio for this segment will be uploaded after 4 p.m. ET.
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