N.Y. Const. art. III, § 24: Prison labor; contract system abolished

§ 24. The legislature shall, by law, provide for the occupation and

employment of prisoners sentenced to the several state prisons,

penitentiaries, jails and reformatories in the state; and no person in

any such prison, penitentiary, jail or reformatory, shall be required or

allowed to work, while under sentence thereto, at any trade, industry or

occupation, wherein or whereby his or her work, or the product or profit

of his or her work, shall be farmed out, contracted, given or sold to

any person, firm, association or corporation, provided that the

legislature may provide by law that such prisoners may voluntarily

perform work for nonprofit organizations. As used in this section, the

term "nonprofit organization" means an organization operated exclusively

for religious, charitable, or educational purposes, no part of the net

earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or

individual. This section shall not be construed to prevent the

legislature from providing that convicts may work for, and that the

products of their labor may be disposed of to, the state or any

political division thereof, or for or to any public institution owned or

managed and controlled by the state, or any political division thereof.