Explanation
Forced labor is any work or service demanded from a person under threat of punishment or without their consent. Historically linked to slavery, colonial exploitation, and penal labor systems, it continues in modern forms such as prison labor. Within the criminal justice system, forced labor has been used as punishment and a means to extract economic value from inmates. Scholars highlight how this serves broader goals of social control and economic exploitation.
Theoretical Reference
Rusche and Kirchheimer’s Punishment and Social Structure, Marxist Criminology