The Chain Gangs

Five Years In Shackles

The chain gangs

The female chaingangs.

From the begging of 20 th century inside the female chain gangs of South America the things was different than in the southern USA.

There was a totally different world.

The races were not matter for the system.

They were all convict's destined to work for years or or even forever some times.

Here both mulatto, white and black girls were at the mercy of their overseers, and the farmers or factory owners who practically own them.

They usually did the lighter jobs as the male convict's had the hardest roles in this industry.

On these chain gangs were very few women that they had committed murders or other serious offences.

The majority of the young women who worked in chains here, were sentenced for minor offences.

The chain gangs were profitable and many wealth businessmen had invested whole fortunes there.

Some of the provinces and governors were alleged to have made a ten or more millions dollars a year, by leasing these unfortunate women to flower field plantations, road cleaning companies and small factories or warehouses.

This made the local police and judges eager to send as many imprisoned women as possible to the camps.

Especially young women living alone, female travelers from foreign countries or wandering artists and dancers were in a great risk for being arrested for the most frivolous charges.

This women usually sentenced to 5 , 10 or 20 years on the chain gangs.

Those who received this sentences had them very often unfortunately lengthened by the prison staff.