A few dozen people donning costumes and holding signs protested what they call modern slavery.
They were stationed outside the South Nashville Jail Complex Friday morning and later moved to CCA Headquarters in Green Hills.
"What a lot of people don't know is behind the Made in the USA label is that many of the prisoners are paid less than a pittance," said protest organizer Al Berkman.
They were protesting the quality of inmate food and water, but mostly, their labor. Nationwide, inmate pay has started around 15 cents an hour.
Protesters point to the 13th Amendment against slavery, which made an exception for men convicted of a crime.
"The way that private prison companies such as CCA based here in Nashville are taking advantage of this loophole by making immense profits off of people who are working in slave conditions," Berkman said, "who have no control, no ability to organize, miniscule wages, a fraction of minimum wage and virtually no voice."
It's part of a national day of protest at prisons and jails across the country to mark the 45th anniversary of the Attica Prison Riot. Thirty-three inmates and ten staff members were killed when New York prisoners took control, demanding better conditions.
And after the Justice Department announced an end to a partnership with private prisons this summer, Nashville-based CCA is front and center.
"CCA facilities have some of the worst conditions of any prisons in the country," Berkman said.
In a statement to NewsChannel 5, a CCA spokesperson said, "This activist group lacks credibility, is politically motivated and presents false and misleading claims. It's unfortunate that they would advocate against the benefits we provide."
Spokesperson Steven Owen said all the inmate labor has been voluntary at CCA-run prisons and that the work programs have been enormously popular among inmates.
State Department of Corrections spokesperson Neysa Taylor said a variety of jobs have taught inmates work skills.
Some believe those skills have been payment in itself.
In Tennessee, pay has ranged from 17 cents an hour to above minimum wage. The Department of Corrections said inmates making minimum wage or above have to also pay room and board as well as save a percentage of the money they earn.
As the protests continued across the country, they may be part of a larger movement as people start to learn more about what goes on inside jails and prisons. But increasing inmate wages may be a hard sell, since that money would likely come from federal or state budgets which would mean cuts elsewhere.
Below is the full statement from Steven Owen, of CCA:
"CCA is proud of our more than 30 years of service helping provide solutions to some of our government partners’ most pressing challenges. This activist group lacks credibility, is politically motivated and presents false and misleading claims. It’s unfortunate that they would advocate against the benefits we provide without themselves providing any solutions to the serious challenges our corrections systems face."
