After 1865
Forced labor / criminal justiceSupplement
Convict leasing expands after emancipation
Southern United States; disproportionately Black prisoners
States and private contractors profited from incarcerated labor in mines, agriculture and industry. Discriminatory enforcement and harsh labor conditions turned criminal punishment into a powerful source of racial coercion.
Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.
Context / qualification
Convict labor existed before emancipation; its postwar racial composition and private use changed substantially.