Senate Bill S3138, also known as the Prison Minimum Wage Act, is currently being debated in the New York State Senate. If approved, the law would require all inmates to be paid a minimum wage of $3 an hour for their work.
The bill was first introduced in February 2019 by State Senator Zellnor Myrie and Rep. Nick Perry, both Democrats. He has 14 fellow supporters in the state Senate, all Democrats. Though the bill stalled last year, it made its way into the Senate this month before the Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections Committee, during a key time for prison advocacy during the pandemic.
Global public health threats posed by China’s policies
Keeping people isolated reduces the likelihood of the virus spreading and infecting locally, but in a global pandemic that may not be the most desirable end result . People who are under-vaccinated or who have not had much exposure to natural infection with the virus do not generate strong T-cell responses, which scientists say is important for longer-lasting protection against severe COVID-19 disease. Much of the rest of the world built up these T cell defenses due to a combination of vaccination, booster and exposure to and infection with COVID-19. The Chinese people may be in the early stages of accumulating this type of protection. “Essentially, they have a population that is not adequately protected from previous infection or vaccination and is now at risk of spreading the virus,” says Lipkin.
Contributing to this is the fact that studies show that the vaccines taken by the majority of the population in China, which are manufactured domestically by two local companies, Sinovac and Sinopharm, do not provide as much protection against infection or offer serious illnesses . Diseases such as those found in the United States and Europe. These vaccines use inactivated forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to boost the immune system, while other approaches have used new mRNA technologies or viral vectors. This means that while people in China may be vaccinated, they may not be as protected as they could be. In fact, Lipkin says if China rolled out vaccines like Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s mRNA syringe or AstraZeneca’s viral vector vaccines as booster shots, it could improve the protection provided by inactivated viral vaccines the Chinese have been using to date. . Chinese scientists have been working on these other types of vaccines, including mRNA injections, but health leaders have not yet approved them for widespread use in the country.
See also:
- Confronting Prison Labor Camps and Other Myths
In this important article, James Kilgore addresses some of the myths that stand in the way of effectively combating mass incarceration.
- High cost of medical co-pays in prison puts health at risk
When we look at the relative cost of medical co-pays for inmates, who typically earn between 14 and 62 cents an hour, it becomes clear they can be prohibitively expensive. Co-payments that eat up a large chunk of your paycheck make seeking medical care an expensive option.
- How to spot hidden costs in a ‘free’ tablet contract
There is no such thing as free lunch or a free tablet.
- The Company Store and the Literal Tied Market: Consumer Law in Prisons and Prisons
Report examining the many issues surrounding consumer protection and exploitation in prisons.
In this important article, James Kilgore addresses some of the myths that stand in the way of effectively tackling mass incarceration.