This reads to me as a feel-good whitewashing piece so fragile white liberals can point to it and go 'See? Prison labor isn't that bad!'

That would be more of a white conservative thing to say. And that’s only if they’re not complaining that the prisoners are avoiding hard labor.

You might want to read the whole article. It provides a lot of supporting evidence including names of inmates and how much money they're making per hour. No, they're not getting all of it. 10% of their pay is taken for "housing" them at the jail,which is BS, but whatever, that's small potatoes compared to having nothing at all.

From the end of the article:

Scott never thought much of herself, she said, and after being sentenced to 11 years in prison, she felt she would forever be labeled a “criminal.” But then she enrolled in college, got involved in MIT’s Educational Justice Institute, and in the spring of last year, landed a fellowship making $25 an hour as a project manager for the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison, where she helped develop a guide to remote work.

Being part of professional networks that valued her contributions has helped her redefine her place in the world, Scott said, and “see a better version of myself.”

In all, Scott has managed to save nearly $30,000. She applied for supervised community confinement and was able to rent an apartment after her father persuaded the landlord to drop the “no felonies” clause by showing him her résumé and bank statements.

Scott could be released soon. She has a place to live and another possible job on the horizon.

So this particular inmate, who is still incarcerated, is making $25 an hour and has been able to save $30,000 and potentially has an apartment lined up. There's other examples and evidence in the article, but I suggest you read the whole thing.

Well, you've got great points.

And, here in the US, they're points that require extra scrutiny of any such situation.

That being said, Norway has done this kind of thing with incredible success, and not just remote work either. So the idea itself is most definitely one that merits a real attempt here too

fragile white liberals can point to it and go 'See? Prison labor isn't that bad!'

I just don't see any liberal type (I'm assuming you mean progressives -- just basically the opposite of trumpets) saying American prison labour is good. But they may say that if decent and meaningful labour at union-like wages has been shown to be beneficial for decreasing recidivism, then let's trust the science and get some oversight and assessment going to confirm or refute it.

Maybe somebody should make the argument that random businesses benefiting from prison labor is not only unethical for the prisoner, but also for the people that they owe restitution to.