Work release programs can offer convicted criminals a step toward freedom. In Alabama, convicts work at restaurants like McDonald’s, stores like Lowe’s, and even at the Alabama Supreme Court. But some critics see danger in the system—for both the convicts and others in the work force.
In 1865, the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution outlawed involuntary (forced) labor, with one exception. Prisons could force convicts to work. Early on, some prisons practiced “convict leasing.” While businesses paid the prisons, prisoners weren’t compensated for their work. Unjust officials turned this into a revived form of slavery. Recently freed African Americans were arrested for vague reasons and forced into servitude. Some people say they see the shadow of those injustices in modern work release programs.
In Alabama, convicts aren’t forced to work outside of prison. But they can lose good-time credits if they refuse to do so. Those credits could take time off a sentence. On work release, they technically earn the same minimum wage as other workers. The state takes 40% of their pay. Convicts also pay for transport to and from work, among other fees. Some say it’s unjust to require such taxes and fees—but the state is carrying shelter and food costs for those inmates. And most citizens in the workforce must pay for their transportation to and from work as well.
Other critics have safety concerns. Prison officials choose convicts for work release based on good behavior—not on the crimes they’ve committed. Some chosen have committed violent crimes. If they don’t qualify for parole, why are they considered safe to work alongside the public in restaurants and stores? Some of the incarcerated even get “weekend passes” to visit home, often unsupervised. This can allow for easy escapes, called “walkaways.”
There’s danger for the convicts too. They can wind up in dangerous work or transportation conditions. One mother learned indirectly that her 21-year-old son died in a car accident. He was working on the side of a highway through a work release program.
Most people don’t want work release to disappear entirely. These programs can prepare prisoners to reenter society. They give some convicts a break from harsh prison life. They can help them learn job skills and accountability.
Convict Matthew Smith had a history of drug addiction. Then he got a prison job at a poultry plant. “It taught me how to be a man,” he says. “It taught me how to get up and go to work every day.”
Even convicts bear the image of God. God gives governments power to punish criminals—but He has harsh words for leaders who exploit the vulnerable. (Isaiah 61:8) He also charges government with protecting its citizens. It takes great wisdom to find the correct balance between those tasks.
Prison advocates work for a system that will help without hurting. We can pray for lawmakers, businesses, and advocates to find wise solutions.
Why? Though prisoners bear God’s image and deserve protection from exploitation, it takes great wisdom to know when a criminal is safe to be returned to society.
Read a NewsThink editorial on the work release situation on page 31 of your March/April 2025 WORLDteen magazine.
