Originally published in the Winter/Spring 2025 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 76, printed March 26. Reproduced here for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Winter/Spring 2025 issue or to download the full PDF, see this post. For other issues dating back to 2012, see the Full Issues page.

When the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawed slavery, it allowed for one big exception: prison labor. The amendment is quite clear on this:

“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.” (Our emphasis.)

The reality is that the prison system in the United States represents the continuing need of the ruling class to control and economically exploit Black labor, and now the labor of other prisoners as well. This goes to the heart of the argument that the present prison system is fundamentally unjust. In this sense, all prisoners are political prisoners.

At the same time, there are also those who were politically active before being incarcerated, such as members of the Black Panther Party and other revolutionary organizations, and those who became conscious while in prison, such as Malcolm X.

While supporting all prisoners, the Defenders try to pay special attention to politically conscious prisoners. Here are four comrades who, at great personal risk, speak out strongly about social justice issues and so help others open their eyes to the true nature of the society we live in, whether inside or outside the walls.

All four of these men have written extensively about prison life and society at large. Visit their websites for more information.