it was the region that needed them the most. The South used chain gangs because after the Civil War there was a labor shortage. The labor shortage and an escalation in crime caused the South to begin leasing out convict labor. (Reynolds 180) It did not take long for convict leasing to spread. After the Civil War the South had to rebuild. That is why most of the states in the South had convict labor by 1875. The most common workers of the chain gang were county inmates who worked on the roads. A large amount of repairs was needed to mend the roads that were destroyed during the war. Many convicts were also leased out to farms in the South to replace the slaves who were freed because of the Civil War. (Reynolds 180) The South was still a farming region with many large plantations that needed workers. Southerners were accustomed to having cheap labor so convict labor was thought as a good solution. There seemed to be no concern for welfare of the convicts or the jobs of others. Nobody cared that chain gangs were humiliating and degrading to inmates, which was against the eighth amendment, preventing cruel and unusual punishment. (Brownstein 179) Early chain gangs were used only for economic gain. Convicts made money page 4 which helped to support themselves and were used as cheap labor. Rehabilitation was not a concern back then. (Reynolds 181) Some people did worry about the bad treatment of the convicts. Other people worried that convict labor took jobs from average citizens. During the twenties workers in many jobs had decided to form unions to protect their jobs from bad conditions. The unions that formed in the early twentieth century also opposed the labor of chain gangs. The unions concerns and the inhumane treatment caused the downfall of the convict lease system in the South by 1920. (Reynolds 181) Private owners would no longer be able to lease prisoners. During this time period cars and better transportation was becoming importa...
