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Involuntary servitude still exists in California. A ballot measure in November could change that
(www.theguardian.com)
The article mentions Utah as a state where the slavery exception was removed from the constitution. This is true, but we've fucked it up in typical Utah fashion. The state constitution now reads as:
Article I, Section 21. [Slavery and involuntary servitude forbidden -- Limitation.] (1) Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within this State. (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to the otherwise lawful administration of the criminal justice system.
If there's a condition on whether slavery is acceptable, then it's not "abolished." God, our legislature is such an embarrassing clown car...
EDIT: I did some more research on this because it was bugging me. I looked at the language of the 2020 amendment, an independent analysis of the amendment text, and arguments made in favor of the amendment. Based on that, I believe that the exception is trying to ensure that we can still put people in jail, not that we're allowed to use them as slave labor when they're in jail. I think it's also supposed to make it possible for people in jail to participate in work programs if they want.
With that being said, I think it's a fucking sloppy piece of work. The text as written would be easily "misinterpreted" by someone who stands to make a financial gain from slave labor. I don't know who authored this amendment, but I feel that they did a bad job.