Vagrancy and Enticement Laws Funnel Black Men Into Convict Lease

Southern states maintain vagrancy, enticement, and contract labor laws that criminalize Black economic autonomy. Black men who leave exploitative employment, seek better wages, or simply cannot produce proof of employment are arrested and convicted within days. Fines are set above what defendants can pay; sheriffs then lease their labor to employers who pay the fines. The system legally recreates slavery through the criminal justice exception in the 13th Amendment.