What did the Ashurst-Sumners Act achieve?

The Ashurst-Sumners Act, enacted in 1935, primarily aimed to regulate the impact of prison-made goods on interstate commerce. It restricted the ability of prisons to sell goods produced by inmates across state lines unless those goods were made primarily for the institution's own use. The intent behind this legislation was to protect free labor and ensure fair competition by limiting the proliferation of products made under potentially exploitative conditions, which could negatively impact the job market for law-abiding workers. This law reflected a growing concern about the conditions of prison labor and the extent to which such products could flood the market, potentially harming economic stability outside prison walls.

Other options, while they reflect various aspects of prison reform and labor laws, do not directly pertain to the specific achievements of the Ashurst-Sumners Act. The act did not directly provide funding for prison infrastructure, incentivize rehabilitation efforts for inmates, or establish minimum wage standards for prison work. Instead, its primary focus was on regulating how goods produced in prisons could be marketed, thereby influencing how prison labor interacted with the broader economy.