Right. And it’s precisely that systemic capital incentive to convict more citizens of crime that is so contentious. It’s not a simple matter to navigte, and varying in different government organizations, but a few things remain true:

1) Ending prison labor, or giving equal pay to prisoners, would negate the incentive outright.

2) Privatization of corrections facilities further complicates the matter, raising the incentives for unethical behavior.

So, there is a clear cut ethical path here. It just has a smaller profit margin. Nothing new.