Chain gang
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Chain gang (disambiguation).
A chain gang is a group of prisoners chained together to perform a menial or physically challenging labor, such as chipping stone, often along a highway. This system (and the term for it) existed primarily in the United States, and has been phased out in most of, but not all of, the country. Some states are reintroducing chain gangs, although perhaps in a less oppressive form.
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[edit] History of chain gangs
Historically, the primary purpose of a chain gang has been punitive, with any benefits of the labor being outweighed by the costs and risks involved in operating a chain gang.[citation needed] Their presence in public was to serve as a deterrent to crime, especially among African Americans. A traditional chain gang is almost universally regarded as being a form of cruel and unusual punishment, and that view combined with the economic cost of operating chain gangs led to their decline in the 1950s.[citation needed]
The phenomena of chain gangs, in the eyes of many historians, has clear ties to American slavery. Like slave-labor, traditional chain gang labor existed primarily in the U.S. South and involved the forced labor mostly of African Americans. Although those working on chain gangs had been ostensibly convicted of a crime, many of them (especially African Americans) did not have a fair criminal justice system available to them at the time when chain gangs were common.
[edit] Reintroduction and criticisms
Some states, such as Alabama and Arizona, have re-introduced the chain gang. In recent years, Maricopa County, Arizona, which is the county that covers Phoenix, Arizona, and its controversial sheriff Joe Arpaio, have drawn attention from human rights groups for its harsh treatment of prisoners, and in particular, its creation of chain gangs for women. Arizona's modern chain gangs, rather than chipping rocks or other non-productive tasks, often do real work of economic benefit to a correctional department. One of the major issues is that the gangs are forced to live and work outside in oppressive desert heat.
Prisoners are given only two meals a day, must every day work in the harsh Arizona desert, and are not afforded any coffee, cigarettes, salt, pepper, ketchup, or organized recreation. If they suffer from heatstroke or dehydration in the extreme desert conditions, they have to pay $10 to receive basic medical attention. To write their families, they must use special postcards with the sheriff's menacing picture on them, and the corrections department spends more money per dog than per prisoner on food. Most of the inmates facing these conditions were convicted of minor offences since they are in county jail as opposed to state prison.[1]
A year after reintroducing the chain gang in 1995, Alabama was forced to again abandon the practice pending a lawsuit from, among other organizations, the Southern Poverty Law Center. "They realized that chaining them together was inefficient; that it was unsafe," said attorney Richard Cohen of the organization. However, as late as 2000, Alabama Prison Commissioner, Ron Jones has again proposed reintroducing the chain gang. Like historical chain gangs, their reintroduced cousins have been compared to slavery in academic circles.[2]
[edit] Culture
[edit] Motion pictures
- I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang was an award-winning movie released in 1932, which depicted the degrading human treatment of chain gangs following World War I.
- O Brother, Where Art Thou featured chain gangs.
- American Chain Gang is a 1999 is documentary about male and female inmates in the recently revived prison chain gangs.
- Life - Starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence and features them working on a chain gang.
[edit] Music
Legendary soul singer Sam Cooke recorded a hit song in the 1960's called Chain Gang (also covered by Otis Redding).
Back on the Chain Gang is a popular song from the Pretenders album Learning to Crawl.
Work Song written by Oscar Brown, Jr, Nat Adderley and recorded by Nina Simone on the albums Forbidden Fruit (1961) and High Priestess of Soul (1967). It tells the story of someone sentenced to 5 years on a chain gang.
Chain Gang was written and performed by Johnny Cash.
Danish noise rock n roll duo The Raveonettes recorded an album entitled Chain Gang of Love in 2002.
Actor/Rapper/Professional Wrestler John Cena refers to his fans as the Chain Gang.
[edit] Dance
"Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder" is a modern dance piece choereographed by Donald McKayle about chain gangs.
