Georgia Leases Convicts to Railroads

Georgia established convict leasing in 1868, initially contracting prisoners to the Western and Atlantic Railroad, then the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway. Over 90% of leased convicts were Black men convicted of minor offenses or vagrancy. A Georgia grand jury in 1870 documented prisoners worked in chains in filth and severe deprivation. The state received lease fees while paying nothing toward prisoner welfare.