“When the Nephites took prisoners, they made good (but not excessive) use of them. Moroni had Lamanite prisoners both bury those slain in battle and fortify the city of Bountiful so that it became a suitable ‘stronghold to retain … prisoners.’ By doing so, he not only freed up Nephite troops for battle, but he also made guarding the prisoners easier (Alma 53:1–6). If prisoners did attempt to escape or revolt, they were slain (see Alma 57:30–34).
“Prisoners were not sought after, however, as a cheap form of slave labor. Instead, Nephites generally avoided taking prisoners by allowing captured troops to go free if they yielded up their weapons and covenanted not to fight again” (Welch, “Law and War in the Book of Mormon,” 76–77).