Accountability.
Unpaid Prison Labor in Texas Renews Debate Over Work and Coercion
August 26, 2026 — Politics and Policy, Corruption and Abuse
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Texas requires physically able state prisoners to work in jobs that support prison operations, generally without wages, a policy drawing renewed criticism from incarcerated writers and criminal-justice advocates. TDCJ states that most prisoners work in cooking, cleaning, laundry, maintenance, agriculture or Texas Correctional Industries. Its public guidance says prisoners are not paid […]
