Nashville inmates claim they did unpaid work for jail officials

Former inmates of a private jail in Nashville say they worked without pay for the jail officials, making various items which were sold at a flea market. These items included birdhouses, dog beds, bean-bag “cornhole” games, and plaques shaped like footballs. Inmates can be legally required to work without pay, but jail officials are not allowed to profit from their work. To prove that the products were being made by the inmates, they concealed their names under pieces of wood on the backs of the items. They also wrote the number 412148, which refers to the section of Tennessee code which makes it illegal for jail officials to profit from the work of inmates. The company selling the products, Stand Firm Designs, denies the charges, and the investigation is ongoing.