Inside Story brings critical accountability and investigative journalism on the criminal justice system to incarcerated people across the country. Watch the first episode here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ra-Gmdeo0quVhoE.html

I’m so happy this series exists. Please continue it for a long time!

This is the content we want vice

My mom has stage 3 colon cancer and is locked up in Atlanta for drug charges. Despite her right to doctors and several pleas, they never took her to the hospital. All the money I put on her books for food doesn’t go far because prices are extremely inflated. Thank you for addressing this. Prisons in the US are modern day slavery owned by greedy people.

This is exactly why private companies got involved in the prison system. minimum wages , maximum profit and government payouts. The minimum wages don't just apply to the prisoners but to the staff in these places as well , which leads to even more problems .

Wow, its almost like the prison system is insanely corrupt.

Look at the countries who set up an actual rehabilitation scenario, and treat prisoners well. Their recidivism is so much lower than here. Thing is.. the REAL desire in the Private Prison Industry, is NOT rehabilitation, but the perpetuation of slave labor. Loving this series. Please do more!!!

2.73+ mil and it’s probably has surpassed 3 million! Because incarceration is a business in this country! Rehabilitation is the last thing on the government’s mind!

The reason why this has to stop is because it creates incentives to create more criminals to incarcerate. There should never be those incentives in a just society.

I love Luenell. She drops real knowledge while keeping it funny and entertaining.

The inmate who booked my entire trip to Nepal (including porters and guides) did a wonderful job, and I hope she is released early.

I hope this channel stays around for a long time it’s extremely informative and to the point.

This could be expanded into a great and insightful full documentary or series.

This is spot on! I have been incarcerated in Orange county FL where they do not pay you to work at all. I started in the kitchen so I could at least eat better since we were not making any money to buy things off commissary. I decided that eating as much nasty D and F grade food wasn't good enough and when I got sentenced I moved up jobs to Road Crew (Cutting Grass) to get outside the gate and work. Although we still were not getting paid to do that either, it gave me the entrepreneurship I needed to become "Prison Rich". I won't say exactly what my business was but let's just say, with help from the outside world, I would turn $3 into $350. Now times that by 5 days a week. I have been out four years now myself and I still have yet to make that kind of money here. But anyways after I got tired of that job and was set on money for awhile I decided to let the system know I actually had skills from the outside and they put me on a crew that did remodeling of police departments. Mind you we still did not get paid any money for doing that work. We did the whole remodel to. They got free electrician work, plumber work, painter and drywaller work, you name it all free! Saved them millions of dollars by only buying materials and not paying for labor. They saved so much money that you can look up the new building we did for them and the old one comparison and you will see the massive, modernized building they are in now compared to the little shack they were in before. They had souch extra money for materials that the walls are bulletproof. I know cause I broke my back carrying the panels that go inside the walls. And just so it's out there my crime was not a violent crime, it was for grand theft, trafficking in stolen goods, and defrauding a pawnbroker. I haven't been in trouble since and never plan to for that matter and will do whatever it takes to make it in this world legally or struggle before I do crime again. But I must say I see now why so many are in there. This world isn't meant for all of us and the stress can make you do strange things." To anyone reading this and you are stressed, keep moving, keep your head up, and don't let them catch you with your head down. Stay humble and don't let your anger get the best of you. For we are the ones that can choose to make our path or let them make it for us"... -Me

I was locked up for 11yrs. I had a bunch of different jobs working in the kitchen, custodian, tutor, working in the library, laundry and the best job was refurbishing and recycling computers. I made at the least .19/hr and at the most $1.00/hr.

I went to prison at 18 for two years,and I remember they paid us 33c per hour for working forced jobs if you didn’t wanna work they called it “failure to program” and added 30 days to your sentence for everyday you didn’t wanna work

This is an amazing series covering so many topics that will inspire people to change their outlook on life, I am a British Citizen living in the United Kingdom and I'm shocked to see what the United States Prison Service/Department of Correction pay prisoners/inmates whilst in prison. I have a family member who has been in prison in the UK, and he earned £27/$33 each and every week less £1/$1.22 for the hire of a TV set, hearing that prisoners are earning less than 50 Cents for an hours work and hard work at that defies any sense of respect towards the prisoner and in my opinion deserves an immediate review.

I LOVE this! Showing real people making it on the outs! Great job❤

Stories like this change my mind. Working in the criminal justice system myself it helps to see what is on the other side. It also has opened my mind if any of my family members get locked up the support system that is needed financially get out of prison but also trying to be there the best we can on the outside world. Keep shining the light on these issues.

amazing series! great reporting from VICE, once again.

Thank you for this.

Great video. Love this stuff. Also, Lunelle definitely wanted to PUT IT ON my guy lmaoooo! He looked like he was smiling after, too, so yk

So much respect for this fellows. Make me honor my life and the people around me.

We need some serious prison reform. We need prisons but we also need to treat them better, they are already actively being punished by being in there.

You know what Vice oughta do a story on??? How regular working people in America don’t make enough money to pay for a food over their head.

Motivation for this episode. I can relate 💯

Awesome show brother!

Your content is amazing you can’t find this type of style any where else

Luenell seriously has the best energy and charm. Could listen to her for hours

She's a freaking legend

I have tears. Thank you for sharing Fernando's story.

Great content

In an English prison, I was getting paid £14 a week as number one in the kitchen start at six in the morning. Finish at six at night seven days a week.

thank god someone’s finally talking about the modern slavery the united states has, it’s literally written into the 13th amendment. slavery never ended in america the qualifications for being a slave just shifted

In Florida, most inmates do not get paid. Only the staff barber and canteen operater get paid, and canteen is paid by the 3rd party company. Electricians, painters, road crews, etc. all work for free.

This renewed my view on vice. Stay true vice this was gooooood!

Here's a guy they should be nice to.... Stanley Obas is wanted for his alleged involvement in the assault and death of a 13-year-old girl in Easton, Pennsylvania. On July 28, 1996, Obas and two accomplices who have since been arrested allegedly took the girl into the basement of a house, sexually assaulted her, and tortured her with items from the home. She eventually died as a result of the assault and her body was located in a cemetery in town

I'm really enjoying the inside story... this is definitely different from other News segments.👍👍

I really love this series

Great segment! Also, Lawrence Bartley skin is amazing.

Excellent, my brother! Continue the series. With over two million incarcerated people in the U.S. and a plethora of criminal justice and social issues, you have a lot of mateial to work with. And you can do it. Also, individuals who get deported from U.S. prisons have an especially difficult road ahead of them.

VICE is back with top notch content

It's prison, not a Howard Johnson's.

13:37 she's spittin lmao

non violent drug crimes should not involve incarceration. just monetary penalties should be used

Luela made me laugh so much my belly hurts 😂😂😂😂

This is the truth. I went through the same thing when I touched down from the pen. I made it through, but not without a few scars along the way. Stay FREE & BLESSED my KINGS & QUEENS ❤️

THANK YOU VICE NEWS FOR FEATURING ME ON YOUR CHANNEL.

Really like your report... I can relate I did 15 years as an adult and 2 as juvenile.... I've been out since June 1999 married since May 2000 and almost have my house paid off and it was built in Nov 2007... we can make it... if you can't do the time then don't do the crime... you didn't care about others rights when you was out.... now where to care about you doing HARD TIME lmfao

I will forever love you guys channel💕💕💕every video is good literally!

Luenel aced that interview. What an amazing figure!

imagine doing 30-40 years and sent back to society without a dollar. the system is deeper then we all think! the good, bad, and ugly.

I want to see the side of the PTSD guards have to deal with

stop the cap.....it's a joy to have anything to do inside....prison should be a deterrant, not a reward

Back in 2006 I was working at Jamestown prison doing recycling and a dorm Porter which means I clean the dorms and I was making $.13 an hour and it was enough to where I got a little over $30 a month but then the state would take half of it because I owed for court fees but I was able to have $15 a month to buy commissary with just from working in prison job

Vice is stepping it up

All this complaining about how horrible prison is. Don’t go to prison if it’s so bad… It costs nothing to be a law abiding citizen.

MDOC paid $.03 per hour shining CO’s boots. 8 hours a day 7 days every week.

Don't get locked up!

So where can we get that cheese cake on the streets ? 👀

KEEP THIS COMING. DUDES FUCKING DOPE!

9:34 - 15:29 LUNELLE 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

I wish the US would adopt the Scandinavian approach to incarceration which focuses on actual, achievable rehabilitation instead of punishment. But it seems the United States prisoners are treated as less than human.

I think I was getting paid 75¢ a DAY. That was in 2009 NC Lunell is and has been The Shyt since she popped waaay back. A true success story.

I've heard the most horrific prison story on a KZfaq channel and I haven't been right since. It's like a nightmare you can't wake up from. I wish I never clicked in the video. Yes it's helpful because someone out there needs to hear it to save themselves or a family member or a friend but it's a lot to handle

Thanks Luenell for being honest about your past. It is one of the many reasons you are so loved!! You are truly one of the real one'💣💯💯😎🎰

Luenell is a major vibe 😆🙌🏻

I love Luenell😂

Inmate "not getting paid for doing work in prison is like being put in a forced situation" it's called being put in jail, brother. Don't expect to be paid. Be grateful if you are paid. These aren't minimum security places, these are hardened, serious and dangerous criminals. The problem is that in the US prisons are privatised money making organisations businesses whose stock are offenders, they subcontract their inmates to private companies who abuse their status. The problems arise from central government who don't legislate against this. If a private company wants "licence plates" made they must pay for that work. Not 20 cents an hour or remove that private prison industry all together.

Human beings are just grounded, real... pain, humiliation we all need love & acceptance 🙏🏾🙏🏾

One could argue that an inmate's labor should offset the cost of their incarceration. It costs an average of about $30k per year to house a single inmate. No doubt a lot of that profit. USA needs to completely restructure the justice system because it's just absolute garbage.

I served 6 month in a federal prison.in Texas.They have a contract with the military base.The prison sends workers for cleaning and lawn cutting. They pay the cleaning crew the highest .29¢ a hour.it depends if you have a high diploma.If u don't you get less.You do your schooling around the job because it comes first.I heard the highest for lawn crew was .40¢ You know they are banking on a military contract.

I just love the Marla Gibbs, Betty White reference.

Well i was in jail, i was a trustee and cleaner. I was happy just getting out of my cell than to sit in there doing nothing.

I need that cheese cake dude NUMBER!

Let's not forget that the biggest payouts in the markets don't come from great performances but rather it's great promotions. Stay invested, diversification for streams of incomes is very important

Man I got paid $8 a month but if I had medical it was a $5 each visit....

Luenell got me CRYING LOL!!!! She drops f-bombs perfectly each and every time.

I don't make enough money in prison whaaaa...

Gotta love Vice news

You get time off your sentence instead of money

Respect

Interesting

that cheese cake is bad ass

He is best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story (1994-1999), which has over 70 million copies in circulation and a sequel he is currently creating titled Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc (2017-present). He has written three more series, the western Gun Blaze West (2001), the supernatural Buso Renkin (2003-2005), and the horror manga Embalming -The Another Tale of Frankenstein- (2007-2015). Watsuki has mentored several well-known manga artists, including One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, Hiroyuki Takei of Shaman King fame, and Mr. Fullswing author Shinya Suzuki [ja].[1]

More people need to see this and understand that no matter who you are, you can be wearing prison jumpsuits too. The system is making so much money, why would they reform it when it pays so well. Every day we all make choices, so choose to do something and be heard. Thank you

Don't break the law.

This is so true the prisons set them up for failure and expect the inmates to figure it out what they make in prison some of that should be set aside for when they get out not that they shouldn't pay on their fines or court fees

Dear Vice, Is there a clean version?

Congratulations for beating Bobby Flay

dont commit crime,you dont go to prison you make more money pretty simple

I thought.$0.10 cents an hour was bullshit. Forced labor is a perfect word for describing working in prison ain't nobody wants to work for free nor .10 cents a hour

Perhaps they shouldn’t have broken the law.

Don’t these guys get 3 meals per day plus room and board? There’s tons of hardworking families barely getting by with 2 meals and on the edge of homelessness. Those families deserve those tax dollars more than these guys. You think I’m happy that my tax money are paying for these criminals food and shelter? They can rot in jail for all I care. Don’t do the crime then you won’t have to do the time. These are consequences for your actions. Should’ve thought about this before you commit your crimes. I’m surprised prisoner even got paid. Now I’m even more upset with the system. That’s even more taxpayer money going to take care of criminals.

Oh how nice they got pet mice, really cute.

Not to mention most companies won't even hire convicted felons. Once you pay your debt to society it should be released from your background.

This is a big reason I am vehemently against private prisons. I've never been arrested, jailed, etc. I just don't think prisons are for profit. Wouldn't it be better to voc rehab lower level criminals with some pay incentive? (I know some folks are considered incorrigible.) Anyway, a rehabbed person could pay his victims some restitution.

Luenell is thaa bestt🥰💯✨️

Free labor at its core 😮

in the UK its £2.50 a week if you attend courses and 0.10p/£1 an hr if you work. And all your groceries and household items are sold to you by the prison governor's wife masked behind the "Canteen" aka The Commissary/Supermarket. And Tesco + huge corporations are those paying the prisoners to do all the packaging work and more