[elmer2]

I suppose using this logic, murder is legal, because of self defense. Theft is legal because of tax laws.

Prisoners aren't 'slaves'. They are being punished for crimes they committed. Very dofferent than being born into it and bought/sold to the highest bidder.

[voakbasda]

Read the Constitution. The 13th amendment that “abolished” slavery also explicitly reserved the right for the government to keep prisoners as slaves:

AMENDMENT XIII

Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

[crote]

> They are being punished for crimes they committed

The punishment is being locked up in a cell. Being forced to work on top of that is the slavery.

[ivell]

> Being forced to work on top of that is the slavery.

Why is it not part of the punishment?

I think it is dependent upon interpretation. Otherwise arresting and locking up can be interpreted as kidnapping and so on.

I do agree that they should be fairly compensated though.

[blooalien]

> Why is it not part of the punishment?

Indeed it is part of the punishment. As an earlier comment in this thread points out from the 13th amendment:

> "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime" (emphasis added by me)

[insane_dreamer]

> I do agree that they should be fairly compensated though.

They're not. That's why it's slavery. And slavery of prisoners is permitted by the Constitution, which is the main point here.

[tmtvl]

If someone is abducted against their will and forced to do work without (fair) compensation and without being allowed to exercise their human rights, is that person not a slave because they were neither born into it nor bought or sold?

[ShinyLeftPad]

"Abduction against their will" is something that happens when a person is arrested. If you are done for crime I don't think freedoms apply to you anymore.

[Brian_K_White]

Self denese isn't murder. It's killing but not murder. And yes, there are forms of killing that are legal and not murder.

And yes indeed you are correct that the sate does commit theft and declare it legal for itself.

Prisoners that are made to perform any useful work that anyone else benefits from are slaves, not merely prisoners.

If you want to invoke the word "logic" you should actually employ it.

[phyzome]

I did not say that all prisoners are slaves. I said that it would be legal to enslave them.