Photographer Daniella Zalcman has created a project documenting products manufactured by incarcerated workers across the United States. These goods are produced for state and federal prison industries, which sell them to public institutions including libraries, schools, and government agencies.

Incarcerated workers manufacture over $2 billion in goods annually. They typically earn between 33 cents and $1.41 per hour for state-owned businesses. In six U.S. states, incarcerated workers receive no pay for their labor.

Carla Laroche, a Felder-Fayard associate professor of law at Tulane University and the Murphy Institute, stated, "Prison labor goes back to enslavement." She added, "Someone is being held in a facility, a prison, and told, 'You must work.'" Laroche said, "They don't have a choice whether they work or not, what skills they want to learn, or what kind of job they have." She noted, "We have the ability to leave. We have the ability to choose. And we can work for ourselves." Laroche also stated, "In some prisons, if you do not work, you will be held in solitary confinement."

In Mississippi, MAGCOR (Magnolia Correctional Industries) utilizes incarcerated labor at Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman to produce mattresses distributed to public colleges, including Mississippi State University. MAGCOR also produced metal benches, trash cans, and tables on the university campus. In March 2024, MAGCOR posted a photo of the Cross of Calhoun County on Facebook.

Georgia Correctional Industries produces most grills, fire pits, and picnic tables in state parks, as well as most signs on state-maintained roads. At Hays State Prison, workers manufacture prescription glasses for Georgia Medicaid patients, producing more than 600 pairs daily. The certificate program for lens grinding and finishing there requires 1,200 teaching hours. In 2018, workers performed restoration tasks for the Winder Public Library, including powder-coating shelving units and reupholstering chairs.

Arkansas Correctional Industries produced goalpost padding for Bauxite High School and a council table for the city of Austin. The organization also designed and constructed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in White Hall. The Texas Correctional Industries website lists a burn ban flag for sale for $35. Bevill State Community College in Jasper, Alabama, stocks cleaning supplies produced by Alabama Correctional Industries.