Convict laborers were often dismally treated, but the convict lease system was highly profitable for the states and the employers. As public sympathy grew towards the plight of convict laborers ...

Given the incredibly low pay and poor working conditions, it is nearly impossible to avoid comparisons between prison labor programs of today and the ugly history of “convict leasing,” a ...

The egregiousness of the violence and corruption of the system began to turn public opinion against convict leasing. Though many citizens and politicians wanted to abolish convict leasing ...