A Dark Secret Buried in Money
The history of convict leasing and its disturbing connection to modern prison labor
Covid was many things to many people. Loss, isolation, uncertainty, grief, stress. But for me, it was a chance to unearth the murky history of convict leasing — a system where prisons lent inmates to private companies for profit. In this article, I want to share with you the disturbingly untold past of convict leasing, a history steeped in economic profit and physical abuse. A past that still impacts America’s prison system today.
Slaves in Everything but the Name
Early on the morning of April 8, 1911, a group of convict minors roused in their bunks. The night brought cool showers, and the dull morning sun cast grey streaks of light onto the floor. The men stood up, having to duck and bend awkwardly as they dressed in worn clothes. The structure they slept in was a cramped box car with thin wooden walls and two layers of bunks.
Dew on the ground, the air still crisp, the convicts began their march to Banner Mine near Jefferson County, Alabama. As they walked the well-beaten path through the trees and into the mud, the men contemplated families long since spoken to and loved ones fading from memory. But these were temporary consolations, as the task ahead was…
