Slavery/Involuntary Servitude

I was completely caught off guard by the proposal to pay minimum wage to those in federal prisons who are doing work as a form of punishment. This could start a horrible cycle of those who live under the poverty level committing crimes in order to make money for a period of time, live off the money when they get out, and then commit another crime when it runs out. Once you have been convicted of a crime it is very difficult to get a job in the United States, so a program such as this would only make it harder for criminals to "clean up." What would be the point if you know your basic needs as well as a minimum wage job will be provided for you in jail?

While I agree that prisoners should not be forced into doing physically straining or dangerous work, I think measures other than this amendment would better solve that problem. As for prisons using prisoners to do clean-up work around the community in parks and such, I think it is a little extreme to call this slavery or involuntary servitude. It is a punishment! They didn't volunteer to go sit in a jail sell and request three unappetizing meals a day in fairly poor living conditions. What is preventing someone from arguing that making a child clean his/her room as a punishment or before he/she can leave the house isn't involuntary servitude then? I understand where the argument for such an amendment came from, I just think her argument in class was taken a bit to the extreme